Still Connected
by james23naley
Summary: Nathan and Haley were seperated ten years ago. Nathan is now on a search to find a daughter he had by another woman. With unexpected surprises will the two be able to rekindle their once strong love? eventually naley.
1. Tonight

Hey! This is my first story on this site. I wrote some for the WB a long time ago and this story came into my head and I really wanted to share it. It's a Naley story. However, it's slow on that end in the beginning. Just bear with me and watch the story unfold )

I do not own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters. The song is the beginning is "Tonight" by FM Static. Enjoy.

I remember the days we spent together  
Were not enough  
And I used to feel like dreamin'  
Except we always woke up  
Never thought not having you here now  
Would hurt so much

Tonight I'm falling and I can't get up  
I need your loving hands to come and pick me up  
And every night I miss you I can just look up  
And know the stars are  
Holding you, holding you, holding you  
Tonight

Nathan threw the beer bottle against the wall. He couldn't take it anymore. He was so alone. He had never felt so alone in his entire life. The love of his life had left him ten years ago and he had a child that he would never know. He quietly cried to himself in his big empty house. He needed somebody in his life. He needed to know that for once everything would be okay. It was times like these that he wished he had Haley in his life again, but then again times like these were caused by Haley. He picked up the phone and called the only person in the world that he could still count on, his brother Lucas.

"Hey, little brother. What's up?" Lucas said into the phone.

"Luke, I'm a mess" Nathan whispered into the phone.

"Nathan, what's going on?"

"Today's the anniversary of the day I found out that I had a daughter. That was three years ago. I still don't know anything about her. I'm so alone Luke. I have nothing."

"You have me and Peyton"

"Yeah, but I lost my wife and my child. No offence, but only having two people in your life isn't exactly great."

"I hear you. Do you want me to come over or something?"

"No, I'm going to New York." Nathan knew that New York was the only way to get his life back in order, to get one of the things he had lost back.

"New York, why?" Sometimes Lucas had a hard time understanding the reason his brother did things. This was one thing he could not understand.

"There's this lawyer there. I guess he specializes in finding children that have been put up for adoption. As long as my daughter wasn't adopted yet I might be able to get her back." Nathan chocked out the words. He had a three year old daughter that he had always wanted in his life. However, the mother of the girl left him without a word.

"Nathan, are you sure you want to do that?" Lucas was concerned for his brother. He did not want him getting himself wrapped up in something that he couldn't handle.

"I can't take sitting in this house anymore. I already rented out a place up there. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her." The voice of determination was evident in Nathan's words.

"What about your office Nathan? You can't just leave a bunch of sick kids to suffer."

Nathan had given up his dream of basketball right after Haley had left him to go on tour. He wanted something that could fill the void in his heart. He went to med-school and became a pediatrician. It was a job that nobody would expect Nathan Scott to have, but he was actually very good at it. He loved his job. Sure, he still loved basketball, but now he was Dr. Nathan Scott and he liked it that way.

"I already asked Kelly to fill in for me for about three weeks. I called all my patients personally and let them know. Luke, I have to worry about myself for once."

"Okay, if this is what you really want then I support you."

"Thanks I appreciate it."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Lucas wanted to be there for Nathan. Nathan needed him. He had been so broken for three years, and he finally had a chance to get his life back in order.

"No I need to do this alone. Thanks though."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"I guess this is good-bye then."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Good luck little brother. If you need anything at all, I'm a call away."

"Thanks, for everything. I'll keep you posted."

"Bye, I'll see you soon."

Nathan hung up the phone. He was so glad that he had Lucas in his life. He couldn't believe that he had once lived his life without him. Right now Lucas was the only thing that he really had. Everyone had just got up and left Tree Hill, except Lucas and Peyton.

Peyton stayed to run an art gallery in her own home. She was married to a very artsy man, and they were perfect for each other. Lucas had once thought Peyton was the only one for him, but then he met Riley. She was from Chicago and they met at a book signing in Tree Hill. They clicked instantly. Lucas was a coach for the Ravens and Riley was a writer for the local newspaper. Lucas, Peyton, and Nathan lived in Tree Hill as best friends.

Nathan looked down at his bags that were packed for New York. He sat on the floor and looked around his house. In the corner of his bedroom he saw a picture of him and Haley on their wedding day. He had kept it up, hoping that one day she would return. Even though Nathan told the rest of the world that he was fine and had moved on, he was still hung up on his first love. There was not a day that he did not wonder what Haley was doing with her life. He wondered if she was married, what kind of job she had, if she had little kids running around, or if she lived in a cozy house. However, the thing that Nathan wondered most about though was whether Haley ever thought about him.

A wave of anxiety hit Nathan. He was going to set out on a search to find his daughter. Three years ago he had a one night stand with a girl named Kali. Nathan was used to one night stands. After all, he was not willing to give his heart to anybody. So Nathan indulged himself with meaningless sex. He had never expected to see Kali again, however one month later that all changed. Nathan received a call that changed his life forever. Kali told him she was pregnant. Nathan said he wanted the baby. She said she didn't want anything to do with him and she was giving the baby up for adoption. Nathan said no he would take the baby no strings attached. However, Kali left town and never spoke to Nathan again. Nathan was devastated. Eight months later he came home to a voice mail that said that he was the father of a baby girl. That was it. Nothing else. Nathan longed to have his daughter in his life. Knowing that his own flesh and blood was living somewhere in the world broke his heart. He was going to change this though. He was going to find his daughter.


	2. Fall Away

Hey, I just wanted to get this next chapter out there hope you enjoy )

Oh, and we'll find out what has happened to Brooke soon. She'll have a decent part in this.

I do not own OTH, or its characters. The lyrics are "Fall Away" by The Fray.

You left something undone, it's now your rerun  
It's the one you can't erase  
You should have made it right, so you wouldn't have to fight  
To put a smile back on your face

You fall away from your past  
But it's following you  
You fall away from your past  
But it's following you  
You fall away

Two days later Nathan was settled in his apartment in New York City. He didn't bother touring the city, meeting new people, or even unpacking. He was only focused on seeing his new lawyer.

Nathan walked into the law firm. He approached the front desk gave his name and his information. He was pointed in the direction of his lawyer.

He approached the door. There was a name plate that said Matt McGard; Attorney at Law. He walked into the room with a smile on his face. Today might just change his life.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Scott." A light brunette man with sharp green eyes spun around in his chair. He appeared to be thirty years old and was very cheerful.

"And you must be my lawyer," Nathan joked.

"Glad to be of service. Just call me Matt. I hate formal names," said Matt coolly.

Nathan could not believe how easy going this man was. For being one of the best lawyers in the city he had a great personality. "Great, then I guess you can just call me Nathan."

"Fair enough. Okay, so I understand that you are looking to find your daughter. Tell me the story," Matt looked intently at Nathan. He seemed eager and willing to hear what he had to say. He definitely was not a jerk like most other lawyers Nathan had encountered.

"Okay, so basically I had a one night stand with this girl. She got pregnant, did not want anything to do with me. Long story short she gave the baby up for adoption and just called and told me it was a girl. I know nothing else." Nathan blurted it all out. For some reason he felt like he was in a therapy session.

"That's a pretty simple story. Name of the mother of the child please."

"Kali…Kali Marie Hopkins." Nathan chocked out the name. He hated her. He hated her for taking his baby away.

"Great. Now I need your hometown, date of the day she called you, and the day you two had sexual engagements."

"Okay, I'm from Tree Hill, North Caroline. The day she called me was December 18, 2013. The day she and I had an encounter was April 26, 2013." Nathan knew these dates like the back of his hand. They were all such a painful memory. To be honest he do anything to take them back.

"Good. Was there a number on the caller id from the phone she called?"

"No, it was a blocked call. I was at my office and I just got the message later that night."

"Okay. Now I need to know the basics about the girl. Her parents, her day of birth, any information about her parents."

Nathan quickly spat out as much as he knew about the girl. It was a lucky thing that Nathan went to dinner before they did anything. He at lease knew the basic facts about her.

"Okay. That is plenty enough for day Nathan. So, I'll just punch all this into all of my resources. Come back tomorrow at the same time."

"Sounds great. Thank you for your time Matt. Do you think we have a good chance."

"Not to brag or anything, but I am an amazing lawyer. I am good at what I do. Don't worry, I'll do what it takes. As long as you're willing to go the extra mile, so am I."

"Thanks, I'll uh, see you tomorrow then."

Nathan was grateful to have such a great lawyer. The man was easy going and Nathan could tell that he was great at what he did. By the end of the day he was pretty confident that he could actually find his daughter.

Nathan walked into his apartment. It was so weird being in such a big city. He grabbed the take-out menus that the landlord provided for him when he rented out the place. He quickly ordered Chinese. When the food came he realized he was not in Tree Hill. The delivery man wasn't friendly and the food was definitely not good. Even though he despised all the memories in Tree Hill, Nathan longed to have a familiar place. Since he couldn't do that he picked up the phone and called Lucas.

"Hey little brother. How's the big city?" Lucas eagerly responded in the phone.

"Well my lawyer is a great guy. Really easy going and really good at his job. The trip was definitely worth it. It's kind of lonely up here though."

"Want me to come up there? I could grab the next flight."

"Nah, thanks man. I'm sure I'll adjust soon. I just need to find a better place to order food from that's all."

"Do any sight-seeing?"

"No, I haven't really had time. Honestly, I'm not really interested in doing any. I just want to do my business here and then go home."

"Do you think you'll find her?" Lucas knew how much his brother wanted this. As much as he hated to ask he wanted to make sure his brother wasn't just wasting his time.

"Well, I'm not one-hundred percent sure. My lawyer said he would go the extra mile as long as I am willing to."

"That's good. I'm glad you found a good lawyer. Well, I got to go. Riley made dinner reservations. Call me whenever. Bye."

"Bye Luke. Tell Riley I miss her."

Nathan really liked Riley. As much as he would have liked to see Lucas with his other best friend he knew it was better off this way. They fought way too much and something always got in the way. Riley really cared about Lucas, and they both wanted the same things in life. They both wanted to raise their children in a small town and not have those children until after they both were thirty. Riley was twenty-eight and Lucas was just past thirty-one. Nathan knew that they would have a great life together.

Nathan walked to his bed and lay down. He began to say his nightly prayer. Nathan wasn't religious by any means. However, he had things that he wished for. He asked for whatever force was out there to grant him those things. They were not selfish things by any means. They were things that any good natured person in Nathan's situation would hope for.

"Okay, so whatever force is out there, here I am again. Little old Nathan Scott." Nathan stared up at his ceiling. His voice was full of emotion. "So as you know I went to my lawyer today. Can you please just make this work out for me? If it doesn't could you make sure that my daughter is in good hands somewhere out there? Just make sure she's safe and loved and cared for. Bless all the kids that are my patients. Makes sure they don't have any serious illnesses and try to make them all healthy, even if that means I'm poor. Make sure Lucas, Riley, Peyton, and her husband Jude are taken care of back home. Could you also make sure that Lucas knows that I really appreciate him? Thanks for letting us set aside our differences. Also, can you please make sure that Haley is happy? Just please make sure she is alive, healthy, happy, and living a great life. Let her know in some way that I'm thinking of her and I want the best things in life for her. I miss her so much. If you could find it in your power to let the two of us be together again, that would be nice. If she is already married with kids of whatever though, could you try to make us friends? I think I could live with that, as long as she's in my life. Also, thanks for giving me Matt as a lawyer. He's a great guy. Okay, well goodnight. Keep my baby and Haley safe for me please."

Nathan let himself submerge into a deep sleep. He just wanted his past to stop haunting him. He wanted a clean slate and a bright future. For the first time in a long time, he felt that things just might be okay.


	3. Broken

Thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot. Here's the next chapter I hope you enjoy.

I do not own OTH or its characters. The song used in this chapter is "Broken" by Secondhand Serenade.

Is it broken?  
Can we work it out?  
Let's light up the town, scream out loud!  
Is it broken?  
Can we work it out?  
I can see in your eyes  
You're ready to break  
Don't look away.

Nathan woke up early in the morning. He didn't eat; partly because he didn't have any food, partly because he didn't have much of an appetite. He went to the television and watched some ESPN. He loved to watch college basketball in his spare time. When his favorite team won, it gave him something to believe in again. The morning passed by and he showered and got ready. When the afternoon came he began his walk to his lawyer's office.

"Hey, I'm here to see Matt McGord," Nathan said as he smiled at the woman working the front desk.

"He's out to lunch right now Mr. Scott. Just go into his room, he should be there within five minutes. I guess he's just running a little late."

Nathan walked to the room that he distinctly remembered from yesterday. He sat down. Fifteen minutes passed by and Matt still wasn't there. Nathan wasn't going to leave but he was pretty bored. He started looking at the picture frames placed along Matt's desk. He found a picture of a young toddler. It must have been his daughter. The girl had very dark hair and sharp green eyes. Nathan figured the girl must have gotten her eyes from Matt. There were pictures of Matt as a child and pictures from family weddings. However, there was no picture of Matt and a wife. Nathan figured he must be divorced or something.

"Hey Nathan, sorry I'm late. My daughter forgot her lunch to take to pre-school."

"No problem man, not like I have anything to do anyway."

"So I see you're looking at all my pictures." Matt laughed. "Boring life, huh?"

"No, doesn't seem like it. You're daughter is beautiful." Nathan pointed to the picture of the little girl with green eyes.

"Yeah, that's Natalie. I call her Nattie. She's a great little girl. Really smart. I have no idea how I got such a great wife and such an amazing daughter." Matt smiled. He loved his family more than anything.

Nathan continued to gaze over the photos. He didn't see a picture of a wife up anywhere.

"I bet you're looking for my wife. You see she and I have this contest thing. She steals the picture and puts it in her office. I steal the picture back and put it in my office. Right now it's hers. I have to find a time to get it back."

"Sounds fun. You seem like a lucky man. I'd give anything to have my daughter in my life." Nathan's smile turned into a frown. He hated thinking about it, but Haley or his daughter was always on his mind.

"You will. You just have to work with me."

"Any updates?" Nathan was eager to hear what was going on. He hoped that the absolute best would happen.

"Okay, so I plugged everything in last night. I have found some small details on Kali's location. My colleagues are going to contact her. If she tells us anything we should know the agency your daughter was sent to shortly," Matt said matter-of-factly.

"That's great." Nathan was so excited that this was actually working out for him.

"Don't get too excited. If she decides not to cooperate then this could be a much longer process." Matt didn't want to disappoint Nathan, but it was his job to tell him the truth.

"I'm willing to go the distance with you."

"Okay, great. Just feel out these forms for me and we will be all set."

Nathan filled out the forms. It was all basic stuff. The stuff you would fill out at the doctors, applying for a job, or just anything you had to fill out paperwork for.

"All done."

"Great. Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow at the same time then."

"Yeah, of course. This may seem really random, but do you know any good places to get food?" Nathan needed something, he had barely eaten since he arrived in New York.

"Oh, you're new to the city then?" Matt was surprised. Most people he knew had at least visited the city before.

"Yeah, I've never been here before. I haven't eaten since I got here and I really need something good."

"Well why don't you come over for dinner tonight? My wife is one hell of a cook."

Nathan couldn't believe a guy that barely knew him was asking him to have dinner with him and his family.

"Are you sure man? You don't even know me, I could be crazed or something."

"Listen, I don't know many chill thirty year olds. Everyone here is so uptight. Plus my wife loves to cook dinner for people."

"Okay sounds great. What time and where do you live?"

Matt wrote down the information on a piece of paper and handed it to Nathan.

"I look forward to having you for dinner."

Nathan went back to his apartment. He couldn't believe he actually had a place to go eat dinner for the night. He was grateful for his lawyer. At the same time he was glad he lived in a small town. Nathan found it sad that the Matt couldn't find any laid-back guys to have over for dinner with his family. He figured Matt belonged in a place like Tree Hill. Honestly, Matt reminded him of Lucas. Nathan thought that going over to dinner might just be like going to Luke and Riley's house, except there would be a little girl running around.

Nathan put on a shirt and tie and headed to the McGord's house. It was a huge house right outside the city. Nathan rang the doorbell.

Matt answered the door with a smile.

"Hey, come on in man. I'm really glad you could make it."

Nathan walked into the house. The place was beautiful. It was big, yet very homey.

"I'll take your coat and then you can just follow me."

"You have a great place here."

"Thanks."

Nathan followed Matt into the family room in front of the big screen television. The two sat watching the game for a few minutes. Then a little girl came running into the room.

"And who is this?" Nathan asked the little girl.

"I'm Natalie. Daddy calls me Nattie," The girl smiled really big. She was adorable. "Who are you?"

"That's Mr. Scott, Nattie."

Nathan wanted to say that she could call him Nathan, but he didn't want to over step his boundries.

"Hi, Mr. Scott. Are you eating with us?"

"I most certainly am."

"Cool, we're having pasta. Daddy who's playing?"

"The Lakers and the Knicks."

"Go Lakers!" Natalie and Nathan both said in unison.

"Hey, Natalie let daddy talk to his friend. Come help momma," a voice said from behind Nathan.

Nathan could recognize that voice. He turned his head slowly.

"Nathan, I'd like you to meet my wife Haley," Matt jestured his arm toward the woman.

Haley and Nathan just looked at each other. So many thoughts came rushing into Nathan's head. He couldn't get any out. He just stared at her. He just gazed into her big brown eyes.


	4. Just Friends

Hi! Thanks again for the reviews. They mean so much. Enjoy.

Have faith in Nathan and Haley, you'll just have to see how the story plays out.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song is this chapter is "Just Friends," by Gavin DeGraw.

I've had other options too  
But all I want is you  
Girl, your body fits me like a glove  
And you showered me with words of love  
While you were just friends  
At least that's what you said  
Now I know better from his fingers in your hair  
I'll forgive you for what you've done  
If you say that I'm the one

Nathan and Haley stared blankly at each other. Neither of them knew what to do.

"Hi…" They both whispered. Nothing else could come from their mouths.

"Do you two know each other or something?" Matt asked from the couch.

"Nattie, can you go up to your room and wash up for dinner?" Haley did not want her daughter to hear what was coming next "Matt…sweetie…you know how I was married once before?" Haley could barely get out the words. She was very honest with her husband. The two never kept any secrets from each other and Haley wasn't going to start now.

Haley had told Matt about Nathan within the first few weeks of their relationship. Matt didn't want any details. He had left a fiancée once in order to pursue his career in New York. They both had baggage, but that was what made them click so well. Matt knew a little part of Haley always wanted her former husband in her life, but they were happy together. They rarely had marital problems, and even though it was hard for Haley to admit it she was in fact in love with Matt.

"Is this him?" Matt kept a smile. He didn't get angry or upset.

"Yeah. This is my ex-husband Nathan Scott."

"I can leave if you want me to," Nathan offered. He honestly had no idea what to do. Part of him wanted to run up and hold Haley forever. The other part of him wanted to get out of there as fast as he possibly could.

"That's ridiculous. I invited you over for dinner and I'm not going to tell you to go home. Besides, a little bit of awkwardness is always fun. If you want to go home you can, but I'd really like it if you would stay." Matt was a generally nice man. Nathan could not believe he was telling his wife's ex-husband to stay for dinner. In fact, Nathan became a little upset that Haley married such an amazing guy.

"Yeah, then I guess I will stay, but only if Haley doesn't mind," Nathan did not want to leave. This was the only chance he had to talk to Haley again. He wasn't going to try to ruin her life or her marriage. He just wanted her to become part of his life.

"Yeah, it's fine with me. I have to go finish up dinner," with that Haley uncomfortable walked out of the room.

"Never expected this to happen," Matt said.

"Yeah, wow. This is unbelievable. Are you sure you're cool with this?"

"Look, I trust Haley. Besides, I know a little part of her always wanted to know how your life was since she left. We've talked about you before and I know she feels bad about not staying in touch or anything. So since I trust Haley, and you seem like a cool guy, then it's fine with me."

"You must really care about her a lot to let me stay for her own benefit."

"Yeah, I do care about her a lot. She's a great woman. She's done a lot for me over the years; I think I owe her this."

"Well, it's good to know that she's with a good guy. As long as Haley's happy, then I'm happy for her."

As much as Nathan hated to admit it, Matt was probably the best guy Haley could have married. Sure, Nathan still loved her, but there was nothing he could do about that now. He was just happy to know that she had thought about him. He was happy that she told her husband about them. He was happy that he wasn't forgotten over the years.

Just then Natalie came running down the stairs. She ran in front of Matt and lifted her hands in the air.

"All clean daddy," the girl smiled.

"Good job baby. You all ready for dinner?"

"Yeah. I love pasta. Do you love pasta daddy?"

"Of course I do. I love mommy's cooking."

"Do you like pasta Mr. Scott?"

Nathan jumped out of a daze. He was lost in thoughts of Haley and her new life. "Yes I do."

"Well, I think Haley is done with dinner. Let's head into the dining room."

Nathan took a seat next to Matt, but across from Haley. All he could do was stare at how beautiful she was. Sure, she had aged a little, but he just gave her a glow.

Haley couldn't stop looking at Nathan either. He looked good, but there was a pain in his eyes that she had never seen in him before. He was still physically fit and his blue eyes were bluer than ever. She couldn't help wonder if he was still playing basketball, if he was in love with someone, or if he ever thought about her.

"So, Mr. Scott, how do you know my daddy?" Natalie interrupted the silence that filled the table.

"Your daddy is my lawyer."

"Oh, are you in trouble with the police?"

"No, you're dad is helping me find a daughter of mine." Haley's eyes darted toward Nathan. She wanted to ask him so many questions.

"Oh, did you lose her in Central Park? One time I got lost there. Mommy and daddy were really mad at me," Natalie asked innocently.

Nathan didn't know how to tell a three-year old his situation. "Something like that Natalie."

"So Nathan you grew up in Tree Hill with Haley here. How are things down there now?" Matt knew that Haley was afraid to ask anything, so he did it for her.

"Well, it's still the same small town. The only people left there are my brother and his family and my friend Peyton and her family. A whole new group of people live there now," Nathan answered awkwardly.

"How's Lucas doing?" Haley asked.

Nathan wanted to yell at her for never calling her "best friend." He wanted to tell her that he felt betrayed that she never called. He held back though. He wanted for the two of them to get along, and bringing up the past wasn't going to do anything for either of them.

"He's great actually. He got married to an amazing girl named Riley. He's coaching the Ravens. She writes for the local paper. As soon as Riley turns thirty they're going to have kids, they just wanted make sure they are settled down first. They're really happy together."

"That's great. I'm so happy for him. How's Peyton doing?"

Now Nathan wanted to tell Haley how much Peyton hated her. That Peyton always thought that Haley was above picking up and leaving forever. He figured now wasn't the time to bring that up either.

"She's doing really well. She's got her life in order. She found out that she was adopted and she got to meet her birth mother. She died of cancer though. Now she's married to a guy name Jude. They are perfect for each other. She runs an art gallery right outside of Tree Hill now."

"Good for her. I knew she would do something very "artsy" with her life."

"Why don't you tell a little bit about yourself Nathan," Matt offered. He did this not only for Haley but for himself. He was curious about his wife's former wife. He could see that he was a great guy. Honestly, Matt couldn't quite figure out why Haley just left him without a word. He was glad that she did, because he got to marry her, but at the same time he knew Haley was better than that.

"Yes, please do," Haley said. She was swallowing her pasta and looking intently at Nathan.

"Well, I'm a pediatrician. I have my own practice in Tree Hill. I live in a big house right down the street from my brother. Right now I'm looking for my daughter. My life is pretty boring."

Haley wanted ask if he was seeing anybody. She could tell by his empty finger that he wasn't married. That did not mean he wasn't in love with someone else.

"A pediatrician? That's very different from a career in basketball," Haley noted.

"Yeah, well I needed something that had meaning in my life. So I thought helping kids would do that for me."

Haley knew exactly what Nathan meant. She also knew that Nathan was better than coming out and saying it. She was actually surprised that they were all having an adult conversation.

"So how did you two meet?" Nathan pondered.

"Well, I was working at the local library part time. Matt reads a lot, so he kept coming in. We started talking whenever he would check out books. We got to know each other pretty well, and then he asked me out."

"I'm lucky she took me." The table filled with slight laughter.

"Then after two years he proposed. I accepted. We've been together even since," Haley smiled at Matt. She loved him, she loved him a lot. She still wasn't completely over Nathan, but she blamed that on the fact that they never had closure.

Matt took Haley's hand in his and smiled at her. Nathan looked down at the table. He had never felt so uncomfortable. He was jealous of what they had. For a split second he wished that he could have moved on just like Haley did.

"Mr. Scott, do you want to see my room?" Natalie asked. She loved showing off her room.

"Of course I would," Nathan was glad she asked. He wanted to get away from the two of them.

"Great idea. Matt and I will just start cleaning up," Haley said.

Natalie went upstairs with Nathan and took him into her room.

Downstairs, Matt and Haley started to clean up.

"This is so bizarre," Haley said.

"It really is. You know you would think I would have made the connection with the name Nathan and him growing up in Tree Hill, but I guess it all went right over my head."

"Thanks for letting him stay. You are an amazing husband." Haley nuzzled herself into Matt's chest.

"I know, I know. Besides, I know you want to know how he is doing, and there is nothing wrong with you two being friends," Matt said while laying his head on top of hers.

"You are too great." Haley lifted her head and kissed Matt.

Just then Matt's pager went off. He looked at it.

"Haley it is work. It's an emergency. I have to go. I'm so sorry baby." Matt said kissing her forehead.

"What about Nathan?" Haley asked.

"Use this time to talk to him, without me around. I trust you Haley. I know you would never do anything to hurt me."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll be home later."

Matt walked out the door.

"This is going to be interesting," Haley said to herself.


	5. Fall for You

Thank you all so much for the reviews. The more you review the more I want to write. Also, I'm really glad some of you like Matt. That was my goal, I didn't want to make it an easy "let's get together" thing. This chapter's all Naley. Enjoy!

I do not own OTH or its characters, except Matt. The song in this chapter is "Fall for You" by Secondhand Serenade.

This is not what I intended  
I always swore to you I'd never fall apart  
You always thought that I was stronger  
I may have failed  
But I have loved you from the start  
But hold your breathe  
Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you  
Over again  
Don't make me change my mind  
Or I wont live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
It's impossible

"Thank you for checking out my room Mr. Scott. It's my favoritest place in the whole world," Natalie beamed with joy.

"No problem. It is the best room I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of rooms. I'm going back down stairs to your parents. You want to come?" Nathan loved Natalie. He thought that she was the most amazing little girl. She was really smart and genuine; he could see little pieces of Haley in her.

"No sir. I'm going to stay here and play house. It's time for Molly to eat," Natalie said pointing to a doll on her bed.

"Oh, okay. I'll let your mom and dad know. See you later kid," Nathan smiled. He walked down stares and was startled by what he heard.

In the kitchen Haley was singing. It was a song that she had written just a few weeks after the divorce between her and Nathan was finalized. Nathan just stood along the doorway listening to her. He missed that voice. It was his favorite time to be alive when she sang. He kept looking around to see where Matt was. He was no where in sight.

"No wonder you left me, your voice is the most beautiful sound in the world," Nathan looked her in the eyes.

Startled, Haley jumped a little bit. Then she smiled at Nathan.

"Thank you. I had no idea you were standing there. Sorry." She was nervous. She kept fidgeting. It was just that even after all these years being around him was a feeling she could never describe.

"Don't be sorry. I love your voice. Where did Matt go to?"

"He had a work emergency. He left."

"So we're all alone then?" Nathan gave her a cocky smile.

"Us and little Natalie. He said we could use the time to talk anyway."

"He trusts you an awful lot you know, especially being around a very hot man like myself," Nathan continued to smile. He loved that they were in the same room together. He loved that he was talking to her. He loved that he was making her smile.

"He knows I'm not into cocky guys like you," Haley smiled at him.

"Oh really? I beg to differ." Nathan raised one eyebrow at her.

"Oh God, I've missed you so much Nathan." Haley walked over to Nathan and gave him a hug. "I mean not even like being in love with you, but just talking to you, joking around with you. I just really, God, I just really miss you."

"I know I miss you too. I miss you so much Haley. You know, I was just starting to think I would never see you again, and well here you are." Nathan squeezed Haley tighter.

"Look I really want to talk about your life and stuff, so why don't I go get some pop and some snacks and we can talk." Haley wanted to talk to Nathan more than anything. She wanted to listen to what was really going on in his life. She wanted to know who this daughter was. However, she hoped that this wouldn't turn out badly.

"Sounds perfect. I'll be waiting for you."

Nathan walked into the living room. He could barely breathe. He had never been so nervous in his entire life. He wanted this to be perfect. He knew nothing could happen between them, but he knew that they could still be friends.

Haley came in and sat on the couch next to Nathan. She turned to face toward him and he did the same.

"Tell me everything," Haley said.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well," Haley didn't know how to ask but she really wanted to know, "who's this daughter or yours?"

"I knew you couldn't stand not knowing once I brought it up." Nathan smiled and teased Haley.

"I so could," Haley said while sticking her tongue out at Nathan.

"Whatever you say. Okay, so about three years ago I had this one-night stand with this girl named Kali. I figured it was sex and then it would be over. Well, she called me a month later and told me she was pregnant," Nathan turned to a serious tone.

"Please tell me you said you wanted to be involved." Haley wasn't sure if Nathan would want a child, but she hoped he did the right thing.

"Of course I did. She said she didn't want anything to do with me. I told her I would take the baby myself. She said no and that she would put it up for adoption. I looked for her for weeks. I couldn't find her. Then eight months later I get this call, while I was at the office, and there's a voicemail that said I was the dad to a baby girl." Nathan looked down. Haley could see the pain behind his eyes.

"Nathan, I am so sorry. Oh God, I am so sorry." She picked up his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly.

"Well, it will all be okay if your husband can get her back for me."

"I'm sure he will Nathan. He likes you a lot Nathan, and he'll do anything to help you," Haley sympathetically looked at Nathan. She wanted to do nothing more than help him.

"Okay, new subject," Nathan offered.

"Yes please."

"Okay, so how's your life? I haven't heard much about you." Nathan wanted to hear everything about Haley.

Haley let go of Nathan's hand. Nathan's face frowned slightly.

"Well, I'm a social worker. I find out what the kids want to do in cases where their homes are in turmoil. It's really sad but really rewarding."

"I guess we both got jobs that involved kids, huh?"

"Yeah, what happened to basketball Nathan?" Haley knew that basketball was Nathan's favorite thing to do. She knew it was his dream to play ever since he could hold a ball.

"My heart just wasn't in it anymore. I mean my game just wasn't the same anymore."

"I'm sorry." Haley knew it was all her fault and it broke her heart to know that she caused him to lose his dreams.

"You win some, you lose some I guess." There was a moment of silence between them. It was evident that they were both feeling regret and remorse. "Do you still talk to anyone from Tree Hill?"

"Actually, Brooke and I are the best of friends," Haley smiled.

"Really? How's she doing?" Nathan asked. He hadn't seen Brooke since graduation.

"Well, she's got a job designing for Marc Jacobs. She loves it so much."

"How did you two get back in touch?" Nathan knew that Brooke had no idea about Haley's where-a-bouts when she was still in high school.

"I was out to dinner with a friend back when I was in college. I felt a tap on the back and there's Brooke going 'Hi, Tutorgirl." I needed a roommate. She moved in with me. We've been best friends ever since." Haley was so glad that she had Brooke in her life, especially in the years before she met Matt.

"That's great. Wow, I haven't seen that girl in years."

"Yeah, same here. I really miss Lucas and Peyton. We should all have like a get together or something," Haley said.

"We'll see. One step at a time, right Haley?"

"Yeah. So are you…um…are you seeing anybody?" Haley was dying to know. She wanted to know if Nathan had moved on.

"No, I haven't dated anybody seriously since you left."

"Are you happy Nathan?" Haley hoped that the answer was yes. She needed to know that Nathan was okay.

"Well, if you consider a guy with a big house and a great job and great best friends who gets laid every night with no commitments, then yeah I'm happy. But if you consider a guy who really has nobody he truly loves in his life other than two friends and is missing his child and has meaningless sex to avoid get his heart broken, then no, I'm not happy." Nathan's face fell. He had not been asked that question in such a long time. His life was empty, he was empty.

"I wish you were happy Nathan, I really do. You know all these years I kept saying that I would be happy as long as you're happy and okay somewhere. I'm so sorry you're not happy Nathan."

"How about you Haley? Are you happy?"

"Honestly, yeah I'm really happy. I have a great husband and a wonderful little girl. I love my job, I love my house. Yeah, I am happy." Haley felt immense guilt for being happy when Nathan was so miserable.

"Good for you. Matt seems like a great guy."

"He really is. He's made me really happy."

"Do you love him?" Nathan could barely get the question out. He pained him to even ask such a thing.

"Yeah, I love him. I'm in love with him." Haley hated talking about him with Nathan. It wasn't that she didn't like talking about him it was just that it was uncomfortable.

"Do you love him more than you love me?"

Nathan couldn't believe those words actually came out his mouth. Haley couldn't believe he would ask such a thing.

"Nathan!" Haley exclaimed.

"Just tell me Haley. I won't be upset and I won't tell anyone."

"I love him very much."

"That's not really answering the question."

"Nathan this question really isn't fair." Haley was getting frustrated.

"And leaving me without a word was? Was that really fair Haley?" Nathan asked raising his voice.

"Is this really the time to bring up the past?"

"Haley, you wanted to talk. I want to know answers, okay? There's no time like the present."

"Okay, fine. Was it really fair to make me choose between my dream and you?"

"Was it really fair to me not to ask me to come on the tour with you?"

"Is it fair that you were so jealous of Chris that you didn't even want me to go?"

By this point they were both yelling at each other.

"Haley, you broke my heart. I was a mess for years, hell I'm still a mess. I waited for you for so long. Everyday I woke up and thought that you would come home that day, but you never came. The minute you left was the minute that my life meant nothing anymore. Is that fair Haley? Is it fair that you are happy and I hate waking up in the morning?"

Nathan and Haley were both in tears. There was sadness, anger, and regret in both of their eyes. They both knew they made mistakes, especially Haley.

Haley cupped Nathan's face and looked him in the eyes.

"No, it's not fair to you Nathan. What I did was never fair to you. I was young and stupid. I was afraid and I'm so, so sorry."

Tears continued to stream down both of their faces.

"Why didn't you ever come back Haley? I needed you so bad."

"I needed you too Nathan."

"Why didn't you come?" Nathan was choking on his own tears.

"We need to talk about something Nathan."

"We're telling each other everything now. Just tell me. Were you pregnant? Were you in love with Keller?"

"No, nothing like that. A few weeks before I left on tour, Dan approached me. He said that if I didn't leave he was going to pull some strings so that you wouldn't be able to play basketball in college. I knew that was your dream forever Nathan, so when I got the opportunity, I left."

"Haley. I can't believe you would do that for me. You should have just told me. You shouldn't have left. My dream wasn't basketball though, it was you."

"I know Nathan, I know all of that now. I came back the first Duke home opener of the season. I thought I could catch you after the game, but you weren't there. I figured since you were already able to play, there was nothing that could keep us apart. I asked around and found out you weren't even on the team. Then I realized I had given up on us for no reason at all."

Nathan just grabbed Haley and hugged her harder than he ever did before. They both cried into each other's shoulders.

"I love you for that Haley, I do. I would have been so much happier though if you had stayed in my life."

"I would have been happy if I stayed in your life too."

"We can't live in the past though anymore can we?"

"No, we can't"

"I'm just glad you have been doing great all these years. You know I prayed every night that you were in good hands."

This made Haley smile.

"Nathan, I'm going to tell you something. Don't ever tell anyone else and listen closely because I have wanted to say this forever." Haley breathed in deep.

"Okay."

"I love you Nathan, I always have, and I always will. I love you more that I will ever love anybody on this planet. You are the love of my life. You gave me something to believe in again. Honestly, I wonder everyday what my life would be like if I had stayed with you. I think it would be the greatest life anybody could have ever imagined. If you would have caught me six years ago Nathan I would have jumped into your arms. I'm married now though, and I love my husband very much. I would never do anything to hurt him. He's a good guy. I do still really want you in my life though. I miss talking to you. I miss laughing and hanging out. So Nathan can we please just be friends?"

"The best of friends. I'll take anything I can get. I love you too Haley."

Nathan and Haley hugged and stayed in a tight embrace.


	6. I'll Be There for You

I really love reading all the reviews. Thanks for them.

I know some of you are concerned about the Haley being with Matt thing, just wait and see. Stick with the story and you'll see how it all plays out.

By the way you get to see quite a bit of Haley and Natalie and Baley in this chapter.

I do not own OTH or its characters. I do own Matt. The song in this chapter is "I'll be there for you," by The Rembrandts. It kind of goes along with the Baley thing and Nathan and Haley being friends.

No one could ever know me  
No one could ever see me  
Seems you're the only one who knows  
What it's like to be me  
Someone to face the day with  
Make it through all the rest with  
Someone I'll always laugh with  
Even at my worst I'm best with you, yeah  
It's like you're always stuck in second gear  
And it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,  
or even your year...  
I'll be there for you  
When the rain starts to pour  
I'll be there for you  
Like I've been there before  
I'll be there for you  
'Cuz you're there for me too...

The ringing or a phone interrupted Nathan and Haley's embrace. Haley pulled away and stood up to get it. She checked the caller id and saw it was Matt. She walked into the kitchen.

"Hey baby," Haley said into the phone.

"Hi you."

"What's up?" Haley found it odd that he was calling instead of just coming home.

"Look I have to drive to Jersey tonight for work."

"Oh, okay," Haley said slightly disappointed.

"I'll be home tomorrow night. I'm really sorry babe. It's just we found something for Nathan and I want to jump on it right away," Matt was excited to have found something. He was still sad that he had to leave his beautiful wife for the night.

"Oh that's such great news. It's okay; I'll um call Brooke to stay over." Haley always called Brooke when Matt had to travel for work. She was her sub-in roomie.

"Don't you two get into too much trouble." Matt remembered the last time Brooke stayed for a weekend. Haley and Brooke thought it would be fun to get a pet. They didn't choose a dog or a cat, they chose a monkey. Since the animal was illegal in the city Matt had to take it to a zoo.

"We'll try to behave. We're not twelve you know," Haley joked.

"Can you tell Nathan I have to cancel for tomorrow, but same time on Thursday?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"How was your guy's night?" Matt was really curious to see what had happened. He knew Haley needed Nathan to be her friend, and that she needed some sort of closure.

"It went pretty good. I little screaming here, a little screaming there, lots of crying everywhere. We worked things out though. I think we are going to work on being friends though." Haley wasn't afraid to tell Matt anything that had happened.

"That's good baby. Don't do too much crying though. How's Nattie doing?"

"She's upstairs playing house I guess. She hasn't come down at all. She must me entertaining herself." Haley loved that Natalie could entertain herself. Being an only child it was hard for her to occupy herself all day.

"Tell her I said good-night and I love her. Read her a story for me." Matt read Natalie a book every night. He did this so that she would be able to read faster but also so they could bond.

"I will. Well, I'm going to go and call Brooke. Call me in the morning. I love you so much."

"I love you too. I miss you."

"Miss you too." Haley hung up the phone and walked into the living room.

"Who was that?" Nathan asked

"Matt. He's going to be out of town until tomorrow night. He said he's sorry but he can't make it in tomorrow." Haley wanted to tell Nathan that Matt may have found something but she didn't want to give him false hopes.

"That's fine. Did he say when I should go see him?"

"Yeah Thursday, same time."

"Okay, well I guess I'm going to take off. I'll see you soon?" Nathan asked. He hoped she would say yes.

"Yeah of course. Here's my cell number," Haley handed him a piece of paper. "Call me whenever you're free."

"Okay, well here is mine. Call me whenever; to talk, to hang, to just whatever."

Nathan stood up, as did Haley. They both hugged for about a minute, never wanting to let go. Nathan kissed Haley's cheek and headed for the door.

"I missed you Nathan. I'm really glad you're back."

"I missed you too Haley. Just don't leave again please.

"I'm not going anywhere, ever. Friends remember?"

"The best." Nathan smiled and walked out the door.

Haley headed upstairs to find Natalie.

"Hey girlie, how you doing?" Haley asked her daughter.

"Good. Are you sad mommy?" Natalie looked up at her mom.

"No, not at all. Why would you think something like that hunny?"

"Well, I went downstairs to see you and you were crying with Mr. Scott. Is Mr. Scott sad?" She was so innocent. She was always worried about everyone, especially her mom.

"No, not at all. We were just remembering stuff from a long time ago. They were happy tears." Haley needed to find a way to explain it to her daughter without complicating everything.

"I don't want you to be sad. How do you two know each other?"

"How do you know we knew each other?"

"Mommy, silly you just said that you were remembering stuff from a long time ago."

"Oh, I should really watch what I say sometimes. We went to high school together. We were really close when we were teenagers." Haley didn't want to get into the whole love situation. How was a three year old supposed to understand, even if she was really smart for her age.

"I'm glad you're friends again. He seems really nice. He said my room was the best room he ever saw mommy!" Natalie was so proud that he loved her room.

"Listen baby, daddy had to go out of town for work again. He said he loves you very much and he misses you."

"I wish he never had to go. I miss him. No book tonight?" Natalie was disappointed. She loved her dad a lot. They spent a lot of time together. Whether it was watching a game on television, reading a book, or going to a playground they were always together.

"He told me to make sure that I read a book to you. What book do you want me to read?"

"This one, mommy. Love…You….For…Ever." Natalie pointed to the words and tried to read them. She did well. She was a quick learner. Haley and Matt spent a lot of time trying to teach her things, and they even sent her to pre-school at an early age.

Haley sat down and read the story. She started crying like every other time she read that book However, Natalie was fast asleep by the end of the book. Haley kissed her on the forehead and went downstairs to call Brooke.

"Hey tutormom!" Brooke yelled into the phone.

"Hey tigger." Haley and Brooke had kept the same names for each other since high school. Brooke using slight variation as they grew up.

"I have a bizarre story to tell you my best friend."

"Oh really? Please spill. B. Davis is always up for some hot gossip."

"I think this kind of gossip calls for a girl's night." A girl's night was always in order when Matt was out of town or when they had something huge to tell each other. They usually had them about twice a month.

"That good huh? Okay cookie dough ice cream or vodka?" There was a tradition; cookie dough ice cream for heartbreak or just sad days. The vodka was for when they needed to get away from everything or forget about something.

"Both," Haley knew Brooke would get over excited.

"Both? We haven't done that since you and Matt got engaged! What is going on tutormom?" Brooke was practically jumping up and down. She couldn't handle not knowing.

"Just get over here. We have a long talk ahead of us."

"Be there in ten, if traffics good, and I don't see any hotties."

"You have a boy toy Brookie."

"Until I get married, I am not restricted. Now I'll most likely be there in ten."

Brooke arrived at Haley's house within five minutes. She ran down to Haley's house. After all, they only lived two blocks away. Although, Brooke usually drove because she was scared that she would get kidnapped.

Haley answered the door. Brooke held the ice cream in one hand and vodka in the other.

"Now tell me everything."

"Guess who came to my house today?"

"Please say some hot guy for me."

"Brooke, you have boyfriend."

"I know I know. Okay, continue bestest friend." Brooke took a scoop of ice cream.

"You're really never going to believe this. Okay so you know how Matt invited that new guy over for dinner?"

"Yeah, was it someone famous or something?"

"No, it was someone that we know."

"Tree Hill know or New York City know?" Brooke asked.

"Tree Hill."

"Lucas Scott and his player ways." Brooke was still slightly angry at him. They dated one more time in high school and he cheated on her one night when he was drunk. Although she still liked Lucas as a friend, she couldn't believe that he would do that.

"No. Do you know he's married now?"

"To P. Sawyer?" Brooke screamed. She kind of hoped they would work out. She knew that they had a connection.

"No, some girl named Riley. Peyton married this guy named Jude. Their still friends, not lovers though."

"Get out! Hopefully he doesn't cheat on the poor girl. Gosh, I haven't seen them in forever."

"Okay, back to that thing."

"Oh yeah, it was a guy so Mouth?"

"No, where is he anyway? I haven't heard from him in years."

"I heard he's married with twin boys in like California or something. The sad thing is some girl wanted him before some guy wanted me."

"Brooke Davis! You have been proposed to over four times, but you're the "No Commitment Girl."

"Point taken. Okay, the only other guy I got is Skills."

"No."

"Okay, just tell me. You're killing me girl." Brooke was practically begging.

"Nathan Scott."

"Get the hell out! What? He came to your house right here? What the hell?" Brooke was rambling. She could not believe it. Not in a million years would she expect those two to see each other again.

"I guess he had a one night stand with some girl."

"Figures, but what in the world does that have to do with him being here?"

"Well the girl got preggers, she left, and now he wants to find his daughter. Matt's working for him."

"Small world. What did you do when you saw him? Like did you panic?"

"We both just kind of stared blankly at each other. Then mustered a greeting. Then Matt asked if we knew each other, and I told him who he was."

"Did Matt totally flip? Did Nathan leave? Details woman!" Brooke loved gossip like this.

"Matt was totally okay with it. We had dinner and made small talk. Matt is so great. Nathan was kind of uncomfortable at first but then it got better."

"That is so insane. I love how Matt trusts you with such a fine piece of ass walking around your house."

"He knows I would never cheat on him."

"Where is your lovely husband anyway?"

"He went to Jersey."

"He left you alone with a Scott? Did you get it on?"

"No! Brooke Davis, sorry but most of us can control our hormones. We talked out everything."

"Did you fight a ton?"

"There was a little bit of yelling. I felt so bad though. He told me I broke him. I didn't know what to do."

"God Haley, wow. You must have hurt him a bit for him to break through his pride and tell you that. What did you do?"

"I told him the whole Dan thing?"

"I thought you were going to keep that a secret. Secret breaker. Was he super angry?"

"No, he said I should have stayed."

"Wow. Haley I can't believe this."

"I told him I loved him."

"YOU WHAT? You my friend are married to a very nice boy1!"

"I know, but he needed to know. I told him I loved him and I always will. I told him that I missed him. Then I told him I wanted to be friends."

"What did he say?"

"He said he wanted to be good friends. I just hope it works out."

"Are you going to leave Matt?"

"No way! Why would I do that? I'm really happy with him."

"Haley James McGord, Nathan Scott is the love of your life. I mean tell me you haven't seriously thought about leaving."

"No I haven't. Nathan may be the love of my life, but I can't just leave. I mean I'm in a great marriage, I'm not going to give that up for something that might not work out."

"Whatever you say Haley. I love Matt just as much as the next girl. It's just he's no Nathan Scott." Brooke did love Matt, but she didn't believe for a second that Haley hadn't thought about leaving.

"Nathan and I are going to be friends. We really just need to put the past behind us. I think him and Matt can be really great friends too. Natalie likes him a lot too."

"Well that's good. I just hope it all works out for the best you know?"

"Me too."

"Just know I am always here for you. Whatever you need to do, I'll stand by you. Pinky promise." The girls reached out their pinkies and made the pact.

"Same to you best friend and thanks." Haley smiled at Brooke.

"So you ready for a shot to numb the pain of our past?"

"Bring it tigger."

The girls spent the rest of the night talking about the Nathan and Haley situation. They filled up on ice cream, and could not stop laughing.


	7. Crash Into Me

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. I appreciate every single one of them. Keep the faith. This chapter has same Pathan and Naley and a little surprise at the end. Enjoy.

I do not own OTH or its characters. This song is "Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band.

You've got your ball, you've got your chain  
tied to me tight tie me up again  
who's got their claws in you my friend  
Into your heart I'll beat again  
Sweet like candy to my soul  
Sweet you rock and sweet you roll  
Lost for you I'm so lost for you  
You come crash into me  
And I come into you  
I come into you  
In a boys dream, In a boys dream  
Touch your lips just so I know  
In your eyes, love, it glows so  
I'm bare boned and crazy for you  
When you come crash into me, baby

Nathan went back to his apartment after he told Haley he was going to leave. He looked at his cell phone and noticed that he had a missed call from Peyton. He dialed the number back.

"Hey Dr. Scott," Peyton laughed into the phone.

"Very funny. Hey Peyton," Nathan laughed back

"So you think you can just pick up and leave with out say goodbye to your best friend?"

"Peyton I really just had to do it. I'm sorry. If it counts I miss you," Nathan did feel bad for not personally going to say goodbye to her.

"I miss you too. How's the big city?"

"Really weird actually."

"Did the naked cowboy freak you out?"

"No, not that."

"Okay, did you become the naked cowboy?"

"No, Peyton what is your obsession with the naked cowboy?"

"I don't have one. Now tell me what's so weird in New York."

"I saw someone."

"Like famous person or person we know?"

"Person we know."

"Okay I suck at guessing games, so just spit it out Scott." Peyton was not nearly half as curious as Brooke was.

"Haley."

"As in ex-wife Haley?"

"How many Haley's do I know?"

"Wow! That's crazy! Details boy."

Nathan then spilled about how they ending up seeing each other. He explained what happened at dinner and then gave a play-by-play of their conversation on the couch.

"I can't believe she just told you she's in love with you. Like, I just don't understand how she can tell you that and then not expect you to get your hopes up." Peyton knew that Nathan would get his hopes up. That was just his nature.

"I'm not going to get my hopes up. I love her, but I just know it won't happen. I would kill for it to happen though." Nathan was willing to do anything to have her back. It killed to find out that he could never have something he had wanted for such a long time.

"Did you kiss her?"

"Peyton! She is married!"

"You should have."

"One word…marriage"

"Didn't stop her from kissing Chris did it?"

"Peyton! What is wrong with you?"

"Sorry, I'm just saying if she can do it you sure can"

"Peyton as much as I want to I can't."

"Do it. It's you and Haley, Nathan."

"They're happy Peyton."

"They may be the happy, perfect couple. However, they are not even close to being Naley."

Peyton and Nathan talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. Nathan climbed into his pajamas and then headed to bed. Once again he prayed to his unknown force.

"Well, thanks for giving me the best day of my life in about ten years. I guess I will not ask for much tonight. Just, thanks for keeping Hales in good hands. Please help Matt find my daughter. Oh, and thanks for letting him be really cool about all this. Finally, keep all my patients in Tree Hill healthy. Thank you for everything."

Nathan drifted off into a deep sleep.

In the suburbs Haley was sleeping next to Brooke in her king sized bed. She drifted into a sleep.

"_Nathan, come on. I'll do it too."_

_Nathan and Haley were at a beach. Haley wanted to run into the cold water, but Nathan said he couldn't get sick because he had to play a basketball game the next day._

"_Haley, there is no way you will get me in there. I have to be at the top of my game tomorrow so that I don't get traded."_

"_Nathan, please? I'll make it worth your while," Haley raised her eyebrows seductively._

"_Okay, but only if you're going to make it worth my while." Nathan grabbed Haley's hand and they started running toward the water._

_When they were knee deep, Nathan picked up Haley and threw her in._

"_You are so going to pay for that Scott," Haley said in laughter._

"_Not if you can't catch me!"_

_Nathan slowly started running toward the sand. When he finally was on the sand he started to slow down. Out of nowhere Haley jumped on his back and knocked him to the ground. They both filled with laughter._

"_Told you, you would pay for that." Haley stuck her tongue out at Nathan. _

"_Now you will pay for that." Nathan pulled Haley on top of him and started kissing her._

_Haley pulled away. "I love you so much Nathan. Don't ever leave my side."_

"_I would never." Nathan pulled Haley back into a kiss._

_Haley felt a tap on her back. She turned around and saw Matt standing behind her._

"_I trust you Haley," Matt smiled._

Haley woke up from her dream breathing heavy. She walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water. She tried to forget what just happened but she couldn't get it out of her head.

The next day Haley took off of work. She had too much on her mind, and she didn't want to go add some more problems. She decided to go to Central Park and read for the day.

She decided to walk in order to clear her mind. Her thoughts kept circling around Matt, Nathan, and her dream. She knew she loved Matt. She knew she couldn't be with Nathan. Still, a little part of her just wanted to know what would have happened if they had stayed together.

Haley found a bench under a tree and began to read her book. She became totally absorbed into the characters and forgot about everything else. She didn't even notice when someone came and sat next to her.

"Are you ever going to look up from that book?" a man said to her.

"Nathan! What in the world are you doing here?"

Nathan picked up a book.

"Reading," Nathan stated very simply.

"Nathan Scott reads?"

"Well if you ever look up from that book I think you would know. I've been sitting here for a good twenty minutes."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to break your concentration."

"So are you just sitting here and reading for the day?"

"Well, I already took my morning jog here. So, after my attention span catches up with me I think I'm going to try to find someplace to have lunch. How about you?"

"Well, I came here to read. I took the day off actually. There's all this stuff running through my mind. So I was just thinking of staying here until I have to pick up Natalie from school."

"Mind if I sit and read next to you?"

"You've already been doing that for a while now haven't you Scott?'

"Yeah, I guess there's no point in stopping now."

It was amazing how Nathan could make Haley forget about all of her problems. The two of them sat there in silence reading. About an hour later a loud growl came from Haley's stomach. The two of them burst out laughing.

"Hungry much?" Nathan asked.

"I guess so."

"Want to go grab some lunch?"

"With you? No way! I only go to lunch with people who don't stalk people under trees."

"Really? I didn't want to go to lunch with you anyway; I hate being seen with old people."

"You take that back Scott."

"Not in a million years!"

Nathan stood up and started running away. Haley started running after him.

"If I catch you, you have to pay for lunch," Haley yelled.

"You better get your wallet out, because you are never going to catch me."

Haley touched Nathan.

"Ha, I got you!" Haley stuck her tongue out at him.

"What is this second grade? Tagging so doesn't count."

Since Nathan was standing still. Haley jumped on him and knocked him to the ground. She quickly got off of him remembering her dream.

"I win," Haley declared.

"I guess. It's just because you cheated."

"Whatever loser.'

"I love you…I mean I love spending time with you." Nathan caught himself. He knew it wasn't fair to say that to Haley.

"You make me feel like I'm in high school again. It's kind of nice to get away from this crazy business, family life."

"Yeah, same here. So where shall we go to lunch?"

"Let's keep walking and I'll show you my favorite little diner."

Haley and Nathan walked to the diner together.

Brooke saw her phone vibrate on her desk. She looked at the name, it said "P. Sawyer."

"P. Sawyer how are you slut?"

"Wonderful, B. Davis. And yourself?"

"Great. I'm working on the new spring collection."

"Sounds exciting. How are things playing out in New York?"

"Well I went to Haley's last night. She totally spilled her out about Nathan. I told her that Matt is a great guy, but he's no Nathan."

"Yeah, that's basically what I said to Nathan this morning."

"Our plan is so great. I love meddling in other people's lives."

"I love how they actually believe that we have never talked in years, when in reality we see each other like twice a month."

"Because I always have "business things" to do in 'Los Angeles'".

The truth was Brooke and Peyton were still best friends. They couldn't see each other that much because their schedules were so demanding. After high school they made a pact that Brooke would take care of Haley, and Peyton would take care of Nathan. The biggest rule of this whole scandal was that nobody could know that they still talked, and they would try to bring Nathan and Haley back together at any chance they got.

"When really you're spending your days with my lovely self."

"Yes, very true. It was so genius of you to give Nathan Matt's number."

"He benefits in both ways. He gets his daughter and he gets to reunite with Haley. He really needed to get out of that slump. It was so heartbreaking Brooke."

"I know, we've been through this for ten years now. I think eventually they'll get together though. I mean Matt is amazing, and I feel really bad doing this, but Naley is just too perfect."

"I know. They'll thank us later in life. Even if they can't be lovers, they can still be friends."

"Exactly. Well, I must get back to work. A-line skirts and bright colored blouses call. Operation Naley will so work."

"Yeah it will. I'll see you soon."

"Bye. I miss you best friend."

Brooke hung up the phone with Peyton.

Nathan walked Haley up the steps of her house. He hugged her good-bye.

"I had a great lunch Nathan."

"Me too. Call me soon please?"

"Yeah of course. Today was really fun"

Nathan hugged her one more time, this time even tighter. All of a sudden his emotions took over him and his lips crashed into hers.


	8. For the Sake of Remembering

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. If you were ever a junior in high school I think you understand. Hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day! So I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I do not own OTH or it's characters, except Natalie and Matt. The song in this chapter is "For the Sake of Remembering," by Dave Melillo.

well the picture frame on the dark beige wall  
holds a picture of someone you've held before  
now, she's nowhere to be seen  
the picture frame on the dark beige wall  
holds a picture of someone you've held before  
now she's nowhere to be seen  
nights that you found her  
and days spent without her  
make everything feel like it's slipping away  
as you scream  
"this world is far  
this world is far from ours"

Haley pulled away almost instantly. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I wanted to," Nathan simply stated.

Thought of their first kiss came rushing back to the both of them. It was like an exact replica. They were outside Haley's house. Nathan kissed Haley. This time, however, it wouldn't end like before.

"Nathan, we can't be doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Kissing. Pretending we are a couple."

"Okay, so you're the one that keeps me in your house when your husband is gone. You're the one that let's me read next to you. You are the one that tackles to me the ground. Haley you're just leading me on."

"Nathan, I am not. I'm married Nathan."

"Sure doesn't seem like it."

"I am and I love my husband."

"So if you love him so much, are you going to tell him you went to lunch with me today?"

"Probably. I tell him everything. He supports me."

"Will you tell him about the kiss then?"

"Why would I?"

"I thought you told each other everything."

"We do. I didn't do anything wrong though."

"You didn't do anything right either."

"Nathan if I tell him, he will think you're an awful guy. He probably won't work for you anymore and he probably would care a hell of a lot more about the fact that I'm hanging out with you."

"Haley, look I just did it. I couldn't control it. I just want you so bad."

"We're friends Nathan. Friends. Nothing more."

"You keep telling yourself that Haley, but it's never going to be just friends with us. Please tell me you don't feel it. Tell me you don't feel these crazy feelings that I am."

Truth be told Haley did, but she figured it was just because she never had closure. "Nathan, I'm married. I can't worry that you are feeling more than just friendly feelings toward me. You can't do this."

"Haley, I thought it was so hard not having you in my life, but having you in my life and not being able to really have you is even harder."

"Nathan don't do this."

"I can't do this Haley. I can't be just friends Haley. It's too hard. It's way too hard."

"Nathan please just don't walk away."

"You're happy. Enjoy you're life."

"Nathan don't do this."

"I have to. Goodbye forever Haley."

Just like that, Nathan walked down the stairs. He headed back to his apartment.

Haley walked into her house. She closed the door and fell against the door. She slid to the ground and broke down into tears. 

As soon as Nathan arrived home he crashed onto his bed. He punched his pillow a few times. He couldn't believe this. He always thought of what would happen when he saw Haley again, but he never imagined this. He never thought of her being married. Well, at least he never thought of her in a happy marriage.

Nathan picked up the phone to call Lucas. He needed his brother now more than ever. 

"Hey you've reached Lucas' voicemail. I can't get to the phone right now. Leave me a message."

Nathan chucked his phone across the room. He hated the fact that Lucas didn't answer. He hated being in this stupid city. He hated being all alone. He hated everything right about now. 

He sat back down on his bed. He buried his head in his hands. He felt hopeless.

He walked across the room and picked up his phone. He called Peyton; she was the only person he had left.

"Hey everyone, it's Peyton. If you're looking for me, great leave me something. If not well I'm terribly sorry."

Nathan sighed. He wanted to be home. He needed to be home. It was the weekly dinner night between the five of them. Peyton would bring Jude, Lucas would bring Riley. Nathan would occasionally bring someone, but that was very rare. If Nathan did bring someone it was never more than once.

Nathan decided to do the only thing that would make him feel better; go to a bar. He walked out of his apartment and down the street to the closet bar that he could find. It was a small place. It was full of young bartenders and lonely men. It was perfect for Nathan. He took a seat.

"What can I get you gorgeous?" The young blonde bartender asked.

"You got any shots of lonely with a side of regret?" Nathan smiled at her.

"Not quite. I do have something that will take that all away though."

The girl walked to the bar. She poured a little bit of this and a little bit of that. She set it down in front of Nathan. He took a sip. 

"What the hell is in this?"

"Don't be a baby. Drink it down."

Nathan polished it off.

"That was awful."

"It takes away everything. What's your name?"

"Nathan. Yours?"

"Never mind that. What's your story?"

"Why should I tell you my whole story if you won't even tell me your name?"

"It might be worth your time later," the girl said suggestively.

"It's a girl."

"Break your heart?"

"Ten years ago."

"And you're still not over her? Boy that's sad."

"She left me ten years ago. I ran into her yesterday."

"Oh that sucks."

"You're telling me."

The girl and Nathan continued talking. They talked about everything from Tree Hill to his job to Haley. Nathan was completely drunk.

"Let's say me and you get out of here," the girl said to Nathan.

"I know nothing about you. You could be a killer or something," Nathan laughed.

"Tell you one thing I'm not a killer. I'm just a hot girl that wants to score with an insanely hot man."

"Insanely hot, huh?"

"Oh yeah and believe me you won't wake up to regret it ten years later." The girl softly kissed Nathan's lips. He kissed her back for a minute.

Nathan suddenly pulled back. "I can't."

Nathan stood up and walked out of the bar. He headed home and crashed onto his bed. He never really went to sleep though. He just stared at the ceiling thinking of her.

Haley picked herself up. She walked into the study that they had in the house. She opened the closet and pulled out a small box. Inside the box were pictures of her and Nathan. She traced his face in the first picture she picked up. It was a picture of their wedding reception. She continued to look through the box. There were pictures from all sorts of events, little notes that Nathan had written her, and little trinkets from special occasions. She wept as she looked the things. She noticed how happy they were. Every picture was filled with a real smile, not some fake one she had learned to put on. She then closed the box leaving one picture out. It was a picture of them at the dance just a little while before Haley had left. She then pulled out another box. This one was filled with memories from the tour. She found pictures of Chris, newspaper clippings, and ticket stubs. She looked through the pictures. Then she closed the box, but kept a picture of her holding a guitar out. She was wearing a Duke t-shirt in the picture. She then went to another box. In this box there were pictures of her and Matt. She looked through the box. She continued to cry. She closed the box keeping out a picture of her and Matt on their wedding day. She put the boxes away and closed the closet door. She shoved the pictures in her pocket with purpose.

Just then Matt walked through the front door. 

"Honey, I'm back home," Matt yelled through the hallway.

"Hey, I'm in the backroom."

Matt walked back and saw her face was red and puffy. He pulled her into a hug.

"What's the matter babe?"

"Nothing."

"Haley, tell me babe."

"I just…um…I had a little fight with Nathan."

"About what?"

"You actually."

"Me?"

"Yeah. I guess it's just that Nathan really hasn't really moved on you know."

Matt nodded his head.

"I just I don't know what to do Matt. I want to be his friend I really do. I just can't deal with him not understanding that he and I will never happen."

"Is that what he wants?"

"Well yeah. We never had closure. He never wanted it to end in the first place."

"You're not going to leave me are you?" Matt looked Haley in the eyes.

"No, I would never do that," Haley said.

"Are you sure? Because Haley I need to know. What is going on in your head?"

"I want you Matt. I want to be with you. I would never leave you."

"Do you want to leave me?"

"No, why would you think that?"

"I saw you two in the park today. You looked awfully cozy."

"Were you spying on me?"

"No. I was visiting a client there to figure out Nathan's case."

"We were just hanging out."

"If that's what you say then I believe you," Matt said honestly.

"Matt, I need you to stay true. I can't have you turning on me. This is really difficult."

"Then cut him out."

"I can't do that Matt. You know you don't want me to, because…"

"Because then it would be running from your problems." Ever since Matt heard the story of Nathan and Haley he knew that Haley had just been running from life. She was running from Dan, money problems, high school drama, and the fear of needing someone so much. He thought at first that he was just keeping her company. Then he grew to love her and he had hoped that she actually wanted him, that she just didn't need him. Matt saw her breakdown in the beginning of their relationship, but as they grew closer her breakdowns eventually disappeared. Now Matt was wondering if he had truly healed her, or if had simply just made her forget. 

"I can't run anymore," Haley said through tears.

"You're stronger than running Haley. You're better than running."

Haley shook her head. 

"Thank you," she stated simply.

"I love you Haley."

"I love you too." 

They hugged. Then Matt pulled away.

"I need to go pick up our baby from school. How about the three of us go out to dinner?"

"Yeah, how about I meet you two there? You guys can hang out. She really missed you last night."

"Sounds good. How about your favorite place?"

"Good for me." 

The family went out to dinner. They laughed and had a great time. Natalie was very excited to tell everyone about the boy that had a crush on her.

"Momma and Daddy guess what!" 

"What Nattie?" Matt asked.

"A boy thinks I'm pretty," she smiled brightly.

"You mean boys don't have cooties?" Matt asked.

"No way!" Natalie said back.

"So who is it?" Haley asked.

"His name is Tommy. He said I'm the prettiest girl in the whole class."

"Breaking hearts in pre-school; we are going to have our hands full," Haley laughed.

"He just better be nice to my princess," Matt said to Natalie.

"Oh he's really nice. He's handsome momma."

"Oh really? How handsome?"

"Chris Keller handsome," Natalie said.

Haley and Matt just looked at each other. Then they both broke into laughter. Natalie was told about him. Chris was still a good friend of Haley's. He would come over and teach Natalie how to play songs by Elvis and Johnny Cash. Natalie was in love with him. 

The family finished dinner. It was about ten at night by the time they finished dinner and talking. 

"Hey, Matt. Can I meet you at home honey?"

"Buisness?"

"Something like that. I'll be home in a few."

"Don't run Haley."

Haley nodded and hugged and kissed him goodbye. She then squeezed Natalie and told her she loved her

Haley knocked on the door. There was no answer. She used her credit card to let herself in. She knew it was wrong, but she did it anyway. She walked into the home. 

"Hello," Haley said quietly.

She saw the bedroom door was closed. She knocked on it.

"Who the hell is in my house?"

"It's Haley."

"Go away."

"I need to talk to you."

Nathan opened the door. 

"What do you want?"

"Listen, you look at these pictures and tell me which picture I look happiest in. You take a good hard look at them. I need you in my life Nathan. We are going to be friends. We need to be friends. If we're not friends then I don't think I'll be able to live with myself any longer. You make me truly happy Nathan. You make me happy. So if you truly believe that I am happiest in the pictures without you then you don't owe me anything."

"I don't owe you anything either way."

"Yeah but I owe you ten years of happiness. I'm going to do whatever it takes Nathan. Just look at how happy we were. We are going to be happy again. I need to remember that girl in that picture. We are going to be friends, and we are going to find our way back to happiness."

"I though you were happy."

"I am, but not nearly as happy as that girl in the picture. The difference is I had you as a person I can rely on."

"If I agree you have to promise you're not going to go anywhere. I need to know that you will stand by my side even when things get hard. I need you to be true friend Haley, not just one that goes running because you're scared."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm always here."


	9. Can't Let Go

The next day Nathan woke up and couldn't help but feel really good about himself

Hey! Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song in this chapter is "Can't Let Go," by Landon Pigg.

Well youre the closest thing I have  
To bring up in a conversation  
About a love that didnt last  
But I could never call you mine  
Cause I could never call myself yours  
And if we were really meant to be  
Well then we justify destiny  
Its not that our love died  
Just never really bloomed  
Well I cant let go  
No, I cant let go of you  
Youre holding me back without even trying to.  
I cant let go  
I cant move on from the past  
Without lifting a finger youre holding me back.

The next day Nathan woke up and couldn't help but feel really good about himself. At the same time he felt immense guilt because he kissed Haley yesterday, and Matt was well his friend. He really didn't know Matt, but he was incredibly nice to him. After all, without his invitation to dinner he would not have been friends with Haley. He didn't want to hurt Matt, but at the same time it was his Haley. Feeling immense guilt Nathan decided he would go buy some tickets for the next Knick's game so that Natalie and Matt could go together. He knew they both loved basketball and figured it would be a good idea. He would just say a friend gave them to him and he didn't want to go alone. Nathan figured it was the perfect plan.

He walked into Matt's office and didn't even bother to stop at the front desk. He just went straight to Matt's room and walked in. Matt was sitting there sifting through some papers.

"Hey," Nathan said.

"Hi. Take a seat," Matt offered.

"Any news?"

"Well, I went to Jersey because according to Kali's records that was her last place of residence. However, she was not at the location that we thought she would be. She must have moved," Matt gave a sympathetic face.

"Does that mean all hope is lost?" Nathan inquired.

"No, not at all. We still have a few other places that she may be"

"Is it likely though? Because I really don't want to get my hopes up," Nathan said honestly. His eyes were filled with hope and grief at the same time.

"Look, I'm not going to give up. It's only one place. There are a million more cities in this country."

"Thank you."

"It's my job," Matt said slightly harsh.

Nathan just kind of looked at him bewildered.

"Nathan I need to ask you a question." Before Nathan could say anything Matt continued. "Are you planning on stealing Haley away?"

"What?"

"I need to know. You haven't given me much of a reason to think that, but I can sense what you two have or had or whatever. So just tell me; are you planning on making her fall in love with you?"

"No, that's in the past."

"Good. Nathan, I need my wife. I'm not going to let anybody take her from me."

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I wouldn't do that."

"Okay, sorry. It's just I needed to know."

"It's fine."

There was a little bit of silence. Matt just sat there typing on the computer.

"Someone gave me these two tickets to the Knick's game tonight. Do you want to go with Natalie or even Haley?" Nathan offered.

"Don't you want to go?"

"I have nobody to go with."

"I would take the tickets, but Haley's got plans with some lady, and that lady has a daughter that Nattie plays with."

"Oh, well I guess I'll just throw these away then." Nathan was slightly disappointed that Matt did not take the tickets. He wanted to make up for kissing Haley, even if Matt didn't know that he did it.

"We could go together. Guys night out." Matt could sense that Nathan was offended that he didn't take the tickets.

"Okay, cool. I guess I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah, I'll drive."

Nathan walked out. He thought it was incredibly weird that he was going to be hanging out with his ex-wife's new husband. It was like one of those awful movies, except now it was happening in real life. He didn't have any clue what they could talk about. They didn't really know each other, and Haley was the only thing they had it common. Nathan sure as hell didn't want to talk about Haley with this guy, that was for sure. He decided it would be okay. He could become friends with the guy, maybe then his feelings for Haley would dissolve.

Nathan went home to his hotel room. He decided to call Lucas. It was insanely odd for him not to be speaking to his brother everyday. He texted him updates throughout the day, but it wasn't the same as seeing each other every day.

"Hey Nate," Lucas said into the phone.

"Hey Lucas."

"What's up?"

"Just got back from Matt's office and I'm going to the Knick's game with him tonight."

"How the hell did that happen?"

"Well, I bought tickets because I felt bad about kissing Haley. I thought he would take his daughter, but now we're going."

"Nathan, Knick's tickets are not going to make up for you making out with his wife."

"But they do make me feel better about myself."

"I guess. I have a surprise for you."

"Please don't tell me you like sabotaged my house or something stupid like that."

"Nathan, I did that once. Seriously, it was a joke."

Nathan recalled the time when Lucas tee-peed his house. Nathan had just moved in. When Nathan drove up to his house after working he saw a sign that said "Happy House Warming." Lucas wanted to find something to do to congratulate Nathan on his new house. He figured a house warming party was too feminine. Nathan was pretty angry, but it was laughed about years later.

"Okay, what's the surprise?"

"Peyton and I are coming to New York."

"You're what?" Nathan was in complete shock.

"We decided to come visit you. I know you said you wanted to do this on your own, but we really want to come and hang with you."

"You guys really don't have to. I mean if you want to, please come. Don't feel like you have to though."

"No, we really want to. Plus, Peyton and I think it would be oh so fun to see Hales again."

"Lucas, you better not say anything. I don't want any fights or anything."

"Peyton and I would never do anything too horrible."

"Luke, just so you know we're not in high school anymore."

"Someday I will trace the history of our lives and figure out when the hell you became the more mature one."

"I'm pretty sure I was always the more mature one."

"Okay, mister kidnap me into a van."

"Dude, I didn't even know you back then."

"Dude, stop saying dude." Nathan and Lucas both laughed.

"Okay, so when are you coming?"

"We'll be there tomorrow."

"Way to give me some notice."

"You're lucky. We were going to surprise you."

"Are Riley and Jude coming?"

"No, they both have some work to do. Peyton and I would quit our jobs to visit you. Aren't we such great friends?"

"Oh the absolute best," Nathan said sarcastically.

"Oh, and by the way we're staying at your place. We don't want to spend money on a hotel."

"Luke! Are you serious?" Nathan could not believe his friends just decided to do this. Sure, he missed them. He missed them a lot. However, at the same time he was enjoying the time to completely clear his head. He was enjoying his time with Haley and the days in his apartment.

"Yeah, we'll sleep on the floor if we have to."

"Lucas, you know you really don't have to come."

"Nathan, whether or not you want to admit it, you need us up there. You're all by yourself. It's not good to be adjusting to so much all by yourself."

"Well, I'm glad you became a therapist since I've been gone."

"Look, we're coming. It'll be fun. The three of us hanging out. We can all have a little reunion, Haley and Brooke too."

"Do you promise not to say anything to Haley?"

"Yes, I promise. I wouldn't do that."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll pick you up."

"We'll be at JFK at two in the afternoon."

"Okay, bye."

Nathan hung up the phone. He liked the fact that his friends wanted to take care of him, he just hoped that those friends didn't ruin his friendship with Haley. As Nathan continued to think he became caught up in a fantasy world. He imagined that once Lucas and Peyton got to New York, everyone would instantly become friends again. He erased all thoughts of Matt, Riley, and Jude and just thought about the five of them living together. He imagined a life just like it had been in high school. When Nathan snapped back into reality he became saddened by the fact that that was probably the last thing that would happen. He realized it was almost time for the game. He got ready and meet Matt out front of his house.

"Hey man," Matt said.

"Excited for the game?"

"Yeah, I haven't been to a game in so long."

"If I lived in New York I think I would be at a sporting even almost everyday."

"I would, but I'm busy. Plus, Haley refuses to go watch basketball. She said it's too depressing. As for Nattie, I'm so scared I'll lose her in such a big crowd."

Nathan could not believe that Haley would not go to a basketball game. However, he could see where she was coming from. She gave up her marriage so that a life of basketball could be fulfilled. Then, despite all sacrifices, the basketball thing never happened. He still loved basketball, he loved the game. He may of lost it himself, but he still cared about the game.

Nathan and Matt arrived at the game. They took their seats. As Nathan approached his seat he could not believe who was going to be sitting next to him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Nathan Scott in the flesh."

"And if it isn't Chris Keller and his dumb ass."

"Hey Chris," Matt said to him. They were good friends. They say each other at dinners and occasionally hung out.

"What are you doing here Scott? I thought you be sitting in Tree Hill shooting some hoops and listening to my new record."

"Chris, I would not be listening to your record if you paid me."

"Don't lie. You know you can't resist the Keller."

"And you're still an egotistical pansy."

"No need to get defensive Scott. Haley and I cannot be together anymore."

"Didn't stop you the last time you couldn't have her did it Keller?"

"Oh, but I could have her. I just shouldn't have had her."

"Okay, how about we just watch the game?" Matt offered. Matt could not believe this was happening. Not only was he going to have an awkward night with Nathan, but now Chris was thrown into the mix. Haley warned him that Nathan could get kind of moody, and to stay of the subject of "Naley" or the Matt and Haley marriage. However, Haley never mentioned what to do if their seats happened to be next to the guy that Haley left Nathan with.

"Well, that's just a great idea Matt," Chris smiled.

The guys sat down and began to watch the game.

"This ref sucks," Matt said to Nathan.

"You're telling me. I'm pretty sure Natalie could call better shots than him."

Matt and Nathan started screaming at the ref. Chris just sat there shaking his head. The period had ended and Matt got up to use the restroom.

Chris looked at Nathan.

"Miss her?"

"Who?"

"Haley, dumb ass."

"Of course I miss her. What do you care?"

"I care because Haley is my friend."

"Sure she's not your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, see despite the fact that I am undeniably good looking and incredibly charming, Haley never wanted me."

"Maybe it's because you were too into yourself."

"No, I think it was because she was too much in love with you."

"Well, she left. She couldn't have loved me that much."

"You know why she left Scott."

"Still, she never found me."

"She tried."

"Whatever Keller, I'm not in the mood for this."

"I listened to her cry every night. She wondered if you hated her. She kept saying that she wished that she was really tone deaf like Lucas used to say. She just kept beating her self up. I mean I remember the day she left the tour." Chris began telling the story of the day Haley left.

_Haley came off of the stage crying hysterically. Her eyes were all puffy. She threw her guitar on her bed in her trailer. Chris saw her and came running._

"_Haley, what the hell is wrong?"_

"_Chris, I'm going home today."_

"_Haley, we still have six tour dates left. You can't just give it all up now."_

"_Today's the Duke home opener."_

"_And you're becoming a basketball player?"_

"_No, I'm going to get Nathan back."_

"_Haley, you know it might not work out right?"_

"_Look, Chris I know he hates me. I know he probably never wants to see me again. I have to see him though. I need him to know that I never wanted our marriage to end."_

"_Haley, if you leave the tour now, you probably can't come back."_

"_I know."_

"_This is the only way to get to the top. Haley you have so many opportunities."_

"_My dream isn't being here. It's being with Nathan."_

"_Haley, I love you, and I support you. I just don't want you to get hurt. Chris Keller hates seeing girls cry."_

"_If he doesn't want to be with me, I guess that's okay. I just need to know he's doing okay. If I'm not okay, it's okay, as long as he's okay."_

"_Good luck. I'm always here if you need someone."_

"_Yeah, I know. Don't sleep with too many groupies okay?"_

"_And you don't ever stop believing that Nathan doesn't love you."_

"_I stopped believing that after he didn't answer that call." Haley had called Nathan once. He didn't pick up. He didn't call back either. She figured he had moved on, and forgotten that she even existed._

"What the hell do you want me to do about it now Keller?"

"Nathan, I'm just letting you know that you weren't the only one hurting. Haley always loved you."

"Doesn't matter now does it?"

"Who am I to say? Chris Keller doesn't play for a team."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I personally could care less if Haley is with your "poor-me" ass or if she's with "mister I have to be perfect" Matt. I just care about Haley."

"Yeah, well Haley doesn't want me anymore."

"Haley is too concerned about what everyone else thinks."

"And you're telling me you don't feel anything for her?"

"Nah, married women got too much baggage. See that cheerleader down there, I think I'll go get some of that tonight."

"Some things never change do they Keller?"

"No, they really don't. Now I'm didn't say any of that for your benefit. I'm just doing what Haley can't do or say herself."

"I guess you're not an awful guy. Who would have known?"

"I'm the best guy in the world."

"Whatever you say."

"Look, Nathan between me and you, Haley may really love Matt, but she will never be able to let go of you."

Just then Matt came back and interrupted the conversation between them. He took his seat. Then all the guys started yelling at the players.

Next Up: Peyton and Lucas come for a visit!


	10. As We Get Older

The next day Nathan woke up and couldn't help but feel really good about himself

Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next update. I hope you all enjoy it.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song is "As We Get Older," by Teddy Geiger.

Nobody told her  
People get older  
Things become strange  
As time passes by my window  
I notice things never stay the same  
I'll be your angel  
I'll be your everything  
Together we'll change  
I'll stick to my reasons  
Make sure you're okay  
Connected and all right, tonight

Nathan woke up and groaned. He was exhausted. Although, he really didn't know why; he wasn't really doing much with his life. In reality his life was becoming very boring. He got up and then went to his lawyer and prayed he found something to do at night. In Tree Hill he at least had an exciting job, and there was usually someone to hang out with at night. If not, there was a bar with plenty of people to talk to right down the street. He looked at the clock and realized he had a few hours before he had to pick up Lucas and Peyton. He didn't have to be at his lawyers. He had virtually nothing to do.

He flicked on the television. He fished through the channels, but he found nothing that appealed to him. He decided to call Haley. She was the only person she really knew.

"Hello?" Haley said into the phone.

"Hey, it's Nathan."

"Oh, hey Nathan. What's up?"

"Are you busy?"

"Um, actually I'm working. Why?"

"I'm bored."

"You do know you sound like a five year old right?"

"Haley, I have nothing to do here."

"Nathan, I would love to hang out with you. I have a job though."

"Haley, come on. Let's do something fun."

Haley felt like she was in high school again. There were countless times Nathan would call her to hang out, even though she was busy studying or doing work. She usually gave in back then, but it was different now. They were grown up. She couldn't just leave her job. Although, sometimes she wished she could just forget about it all for just a little bit. Sometimes she wished she could find that girl she was back in high school. She wanted to be the girl that did what she wanted. However, life was different now.

"Nathan, I would love too, but I really can't. I'm swamped with work."

"How about lunch?" He was pleading with her. He was bored out of his mind. He needed to get out of there.

"I can't take a lunch. I'm incredibly busy."

"Alright, fine."

"How about you come over for dinner? Matt's going to visit his sister, who I can't stand by the way. Natalie and I will be by ourselves. You should come over."

"I can't."

"You just said you had nothing to do."

"I have nothing to do until two."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What are you doing tonight?"

"Well, um…" He wasn't sure if he wanted her to know just yet.

"You can just tell me you know."

"Lucas and Peyton are coming here."

"Oh, like today?"

"Yeah, I'm picking them up at the airport at two."

"Are they staying for a while?"

"I actually have no idea. It was a surprise."

"Oh, well maybe we could all hang out or something?" Haley said cautiously.

"Lucas said that he and Peyton would love for all of us to get together."

"Everyone should come over tonight. I'll find Natalie a sitter. Oh, and I'll invite Brooke. It'll be the five of us."

"That sounds great. Want me to bring anything?"

"No, just yourself."

"Okay, I'll see you tonight then."

"Yeah, just come by at say sixish."

"Okay, see you later Hales."

Haley smiled at the name. Nobody called her that anymore. She was practically spinning in circles. She could not get over the fact that everyone would be together again tonight. It would be just like old times. That's what she needed right now. She needed to be with people who she really felt comfortable with. She needed to see the kids that she grew up with. Lately, she had been so stressed. Work was crazy, Matt was working a lot, and Natalie was growing so fast. She called Brooke to invite her.

"Hey tutor mom!" Brooke chimed into the phone.

"Hey tigger. How's life at Marc Jacobs?"

"Busy, I'm working on the fall collection."

"It's January Brooke!"

"I know, but that's the fashion industry for you. They're always like a million months ahead of time. I still don't understand why there isn't a summer collection. I mean it goes spring then fall, then fall to spring. I mean hello! There are these two seasons called summer and winter; summer being my favorite of the two."

"Brooke, hun, you are rambling."

"I think I picked that up from you. I didn't do that before we hung out so much."

"Maybe it's the business. I mean you do have to talk a lot."

"No, you see I like clothes. I like to talk about them. Right there, I just talked about seasons for like an hour."

"Whatever. So, are you busy tonight?"

"Did Matt go out of town again? You know I think you two are working too much."

"No, Matt's going to see his lovely sister Kelly," Haley said sarcastically.

"Oh, can't she like die or something?"

"That's not nice."

"Okay, whatever. So back to tonight."

"Are you busy?"

"Well, I did have plans to go out with the boytoy. I can cancel if you really need me to."

"Well, it's up to you."

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

"Dinner."

"Haley, I love you, but I don't want to cancel just for dinner."

"Okay, what if there's other people there?"

"Dinner with a three year old is not my idea of a good time. I love my god daughter, but tutor girl I have not seen my boytoy in so long."

"Okay, I never said it was Natalie."

"We have none of the same friends."

"Well, maybe if you didn't befriend all the club goers."

"And maybe if you didn't befriend all the stiff business people we wouldn't have this problem."

"Okay, would you like to know who they are or not?"

"Oh, I would love to know bestest friend."

"Nathan, Lucas, and Peyton."

"What?" Brooke practically screamed into the phone.

"Nathan, Lucas, and Peyton."

"Oh my gosh! I thought just lover boy was in town!"

"Brooke, he is not 'lover boy'" Haley insisted.

"Whatever you say," Brooke said in a singsong voice.

"Brooke…"

"Okay, I believe you," Brooke said, even though she did not agree in the least bit. "When did the other two get here?"

"They're coming soon. Nathan is going to pick them up at the airport."

"I am so ditching my date for this! This is going to be just like high school. Just imagine the five of us at dinner. Oh, Haley I really just can't believe this."

"I'm incredibly excited! It's going to be so much fun."

"It hasn't been the five of us in so long. It's kind of depressing actually."

"Well, if tonight goes good maybe we can convince everyone to just move here."

"We could just move there. There are more of us there."

"It doesn't really matter where we live."

"Oh, I have such a brilliant idea. We can all just share a house. The five of us can all just move in together. We all have like enough money to like never work again."

"Brooke, we are not college room mates."

"Okay, just spoil all the fun. It could happen."

"I think you're forgetting that most of us are married."

"Okay I though I taught you this. Buds over Studs Haley. God, Peyton understood it so much better."

"I get it Brooke, but we can't just divorce to have a high school reunion."

"Oh, but you could. Plus, I bet there would be some hook-ups if you know what I mean."

"Love triangles are so ten years ago. Oh my gosh! It's been ten freaking years!"

"Well duh! Haven't you noticed yourself growing older?"

"It really sucks that nobody stays in touch anymore."

"I know. Look I got to go. If I don't stupid Lisa may just fire me. God, I hate her. Anyway see you tonight."

"Yeah, be there at six."

Haley hung up the phone and sank back into her chair at work.

Nathan watched ESPN until it was time to go pick up his friends at the airport. When he arrived at the airport he went to arrivals and waited for them. He was excited that they were coming. He was even more excited for the reunion that would be happening that night.

Peyton ran up to Nathan and jumped right into his arms. Lucas came and gave him a hug.

"I missed you stud," Peyton said laughing.

"Couldn't stay away from me could you?"

"No, I just couldn't resist your smart ass comments."

Peyton hugged Nathan again. Then she smacked the back of his head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Not saying good-bye to me. Just leaving me home to wonder if you were ever going to come back and see lil ol' me."

"I'm sure Lucas here kept you company."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't play NBA live with me. He's still mad about the last time he lost."

"Ouch," Lucas said. "That really hurt Peyton."

"Okay, I have a surprise for you two."

"Get us plane tickets back to Tree Hill?" Lucas asked.

"No, I'm not that mean."

"Okay, tell us Nathan."

"We're going to dinner tonight."

"Oh, thank God! I though we were just never going to eat while we were here," Peyton said pretending to be famished.

"So you're not starving us?" Lucas asked giving a fake surprised face.

"Very funny. We're going to dinner at someone's house."

"Oh, so you're actually letting us into the apartment?" Lucas said.

"We're eating at Haley's."

Peyton and Lucas just kind of stared at him.

"Hello! We're having dinner with Haley and Brooke tonight."

"Wow! I didn't think she'd want to see us," Peyton said.

"She's really excited. She's cooking. She's a great cook. She said it would be like a high school reunion."

"Well, this is great! It may be awkward, but wow it has been like this is how long?" Lucas said.

"It's been ten years. Why haven't we all seen each other in so long?" Peyton asked.

"Well, there's been a rock tour, a med school graduation, a fashion label, an art gallery, a sports team, a kid, and a few weddings in the way," Nathan said simply.

"I can't believe all this has happened in ten years. What do you think Brooke and Haley will do tonight? Do you think they'll be the same?" Lucas asked.

"Well, Haley's pretty much the same. She's older. She's less care free. She's still our Haley though. Brooke, I haven't seen. Haley says she's still the same old Brooke," answered Nathan.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Peyton squealed.

"What about this Matt guy?" Lucas asked.

"He's visiting a relative. It'll be just the five of us."

"Excuse me, but I'm going to run to the bathroom," Peyton said.

While in the bathroom she picked up her phone and dialed Brooke.

"Hi, best friend! Welcome to NYC!" Brooke squealed.

"I am so excited!" Peyton squealed back.

"I can't wait for all of us to get together. Haley is so excited."

"Everyone is so excited. God, I wasn't expecting this. I was like well we'll come to New York and watch Nathan mope about life. Hey, we may even be able to see the Statue of Liberty. Then I come here, and I find out I get to eat dinner with your lovely self."

"I just hope everything goes okay. Promise you won't say anything to Haley," Brooke begged.

"You know how I feel about what she did."

"I know, but that was so high school. I think we're all mature enough to forgive and forget. Besides, why should we blow an opportunity for us all to feel safe again, a chance to feel like we have something worth fighting for?"

"When did you become so good with words?"

"I think it was all those speeches fighting for Lucas."

"Yeah, somewhere down that line. You have to be nice to Lucas."

"Oh, I'm over it. I've accepted the fact that he is a player."

"A married player. He's settled down Brooke."

"Okay, how about this? Clean slates for everybody?" Brooke offered.

"Deal. See you in a few best friend."

"Oh, by the way this is the perfect operation Naley time."

"I know! I've been thinking about that ever since I found out. We'll figure something out. It's meant to be."

"We are all meant to be, you know friends. Opportunities like this don't just happen in this crappy world."

"Yeah, tonight will be fun. Clean slates."

"Clean slates," Brooke repeated.

"We're all best friends. That's how it will always be. I won't let past mistakes ruin tonight."

"Yeah, I miss everyone too much to care."

Brooke sat at her desk and cried. She couldn't believe that friends that promised each other forever were just all going to be getting together tonight. It was ten years later and still no apologies, forgiveness, or "I love you's" had been made. They were all such different people.

Next! Dinner for five! Will there be problems? Or does it all go well?


	11. The Space Between

The next day Nathan woke up and couldn't help but feel really good about himself

Thanks for the reviews. Sorry this update is kind of short, but that's school for you. Hopefully, I'll update for you all tomorrow. Please Review. Enjoy.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. This chapter is called "The Space Between" by Dave Matthews.

The Space Between  
The tears we cry  
Is the laughter keeps us coming back for more  
The Space Between  
The wicked lies we tell  
And hope to keep safe from the pain  
But will I hold you again?  
These fickle, fuddled words confuse me  
Like 'Will it rain today?'  
Waste the hours with talking, talking  
These twisted games we're playing  
We're strange allies  
With warring hearts  
What a wild-eyed beast you'll be  
The Space Between  
The wicked lies we tell  
And hope to keep safe from the pain

Peyton, Lucas, and Nathan walked up to the door of Haley's house.

"Okay, everybody be nice," Nathan said.

Nathan rang the doorbell of the house. They waited a second. The door opened and Haley was standing on the other side with Brooke Davis. Brooke squealed and hugged Nathan almost instantly. Haley latched onto Lucas as if she would never let go. Brooke then moved onto Peyton and gave her a hug like she hadn't seen her in a million years (when in reality it was about two months ago).

"I missed you so much Lucas," Haley whispered into his ear. She was crying. She couldn't stop. She couldn't get over all of this. Lucas looked so different. His hair had gotten darker and his faced aged a little bit. He no longer looked like a high school kid.

"I missed you more than you could ever know best friend," Lucas whispered back. To him this was a totally new Haley. Her hair was short and she had become classier. She wasn't the quirky girl that he knew back in high school.

Brooke grabbed Nathan back and took a good look at his face.

"Still fine as ever Scott," Brooke said.

"What can I say? I was born to be insanely good looking," Nathan said back to her.

"Insanely good looking and insanely cocky. I missed your fine cocky self," Brooke said.

"You know I missed you too. You're not looking too bad yourself Miss Davis," Nathan smiled.

"What can I say? I live in New York, they have the best of all beauty products here. Plus, I'm just naturally irresistible," Brooke raised her eyebrows.

"B. Davis I missed you!" Peyton said.

"You know I miss you more P. Sawyer. I haven't seen any dark artwork or listened to really great music in years," Brooke hugged Peyton again.

"How did you ever go on without me?" Peyton asked.

"I think it was a lot of hot sex."

"That's my girl. Seriously, I miss you! Come to Tree Hill," Peyton said.

"I would, but Marc Jacobs doesn't have an office there."

"I have an office there."

"Peyton, I suck at drawing."

"Good point. You could just come visit."

"I promise I will. Next month I promise. I'll take a few days off."

In the mean time Haley and Lucas were still in an embrace.

"Okay, long lost lovers time to let go, and let me see Lucas Scott. Time to let P. Sawyer see Hales here," Brooke said, pulling the two apart.

"Sorry, it's just I miss Lucas so much," Haley said wiping the tears away. "It's been such a long time."

"And who's fault is that?" Peyton asked.

Brooke nudged Peyton in the arm. She saw Haley's face fall. She could tell that she was hurt.

"It's my fault for never calling," Peyton said laughing. That's not really what she meant, but the idea of a clean slate came chiming back into her head. She didn't want to start things off poorly.

Haley laughed. "Come here Peyton, I missed you." Haley walked up to Peyton and hugged her. The two girls swayed back and forth.

"I missed you too! How's living in New York?"

"It's been crazy. I work so much. It's really fun though, there's so much to do here. I'm never bored. I lied, I'm always bored. However, if I wanted to do something I really could. I really don't understand why I…" Haley babbled on.

"Haley, you're rambling," Nathan laughed.

"Sorry, I've just been so anxious about seeing all of you tonight."

Brooke went up to Lucas and gave him a hug.

"Forgive me yet?" Lucas asked Brooke.

"That ship sailed a long time ago. I'm over it. I miss have a broody boy in my life," Brooke whispered to him.

"And I miss having a cheery girl in my life."

"Well now you have no excuse not to see me anymore."

"Everyone looks so incredibly different," Haley said. Peyton's hair had light curls. It was still blonde, but a completely different shade. She was still super skinny, but healthy. She wore what some would consider artsy clothes. Her eyes weren't as sad looking as they used to be. They had a happy glow in them. Haley wondered if it was because her life was incredible or if it was because they were all together. The weirdest thing was that out of the five, three of them had wedding bands on. Haley was dying to meet their spouses. She wanted to find out who had separated the love triangle, and more importantly stole her best friend's hearts.

"Why don't we all go sit down?" Brooke suggested.

Haley showed them all to the dining room.

"Your home is gorgeous Haley! I am so jealous," Peyton said.

"Thanks. Matt picked out the house, and I decorated it."

"So tell us about this Matt guy Hales," Lucas said.

"I miss you calling me that."

"I miss actually calling someone that," Lucas smiled.

"So back to Matt," Peyton said. She was interested in the man that she was trying to rip out of Haley's life. She wanted to see if this guy was really as incredible as Brooke made him out to be. She wanted to see if the guy was really making Haley a happy girl.

"Well, I met him a few years ago. I was working at the library for some extra money and he kept coming in. He asked me out. We've been together ever since. He's really sweet."

"You have a daughter too, don't you?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, little Natalie."

"Sounds awfully like Nathan to me," Peyton mumbled.

"What?" Haley asked.

"Nothing, it's just that it is a really beautiful name. How'd you come up with that?" Peyton inquired.

"Yeah, you never did tell me that," Nathan said.

"Matt's great grandma was named Natalia, we made it a little more modern. So now we have little Natalie."

"That's great Hales. Your family sounds incredible," Lucas said.

"What about your wife?" Haley said.

"She's incredible. Stole my heart on the first date. She's a few years younger than me and she writes for the paper. I'm just so in love with her. I can't wait to have kids either." Lucas was all smiles when he spoke about his wife. He loved her a lot. She was incredible.

"What about you Peyton? You're married to Jude right?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, he's a great guy. Fell in love over art," Peyton smiled.

"Now, who would have ever expected that?" Brooke laughed.

Now Haley was sitting at the head of the table. Nathan was sitting on one side of her, and Lucas sat across from him on the other side. Next to Lucas was Peyton, and across from Peyton next to Nathan was Brooke.

"I wish we could all have been at each other's weddings," Haley sighed.

"Well actually, Jude and I eloped at first."

"Get Out!" Haley screamed.

"Yeah, didn't even invite us to her first wedding," Lucas said poking Peyton.

"How did this happen?" Brooke asked.

"Well, Jude and I went on a vacation to look at this lady's artwork. It was this beautiful beach in Maine. Well, he asked me to marry him. I said yes. Then I couldn't stop talking about how pretty it was, he said we should just get married right there. So we did."

"That's really romantic," Haley added.

"I would call it hasty. Like P. Sawyer over here couldn't wait to call herself a married woman," Brooke laughed.

"Hey, hey! I'm not only one that rushed into a marriage," Peyton said gesturing her eyes to Haley and Nathan. She started laughing. Brooke and Lucas began laughing to, as Nathan and Haley just stared at each other awkwardly.

"So how about Lucas, did he rush into a marriage too?"

"No, Riley wanted a big wedding. I probably spent more money on the wedding than I ever spent in my entire life."

"Probably not nearly what I'll spend on my wedding though," Brooke smiled.

"Are you ever even going to get married Brooke?" Peyton asked.

"I do have a boy toy. I just don't know if I'm ready to settle down yet. I mean we've been dating for like six months now, and well I don't know if I really see a future with him."

"Why are you even bothering with him then Brookie?" Haley asked.

"I don't want to be alone. Plus, he's really nice. He has a really cool boat that we go on sometimes," Brooke confessed.

"You know you really should find someone to settle down with," Peyton said.

"Yeah, don't you want to get married?" Lucas asked.

"I'm not the only one here who hasn't found someone to spend the rest of my life with," Brooke said. She was sick of people always attacking her for not have founding a spouse yet. Sure she was thirty, but she really didn't find a point in finding someone to be bored with forever.

"Okay, how about we not get into that?" Lucas said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nathan asked.

"We all know why you haven't settled down yet. I just don't want to talk about it," Lucas said.

"Maybe I just haven't found somebody yet," Nathan tried to save the situation.

"Nathan, I love you to death, but we all know it's because you found someone that didn't want to spend the rest of their life with you. You don't have to lie to protect her, she's a big girl," Peyton said. She wasn't going to let Nathan take the fall for Haley. Sure, she said she would have a clean slate for everyone, but when a topic like this came up, Peyton had to defend her best friend.

Haley just looked at the table, as did Nathan. Neither of them knew what to do. Nathan looked over at Haley. He could see that she had a tear sliding down her face. He moved his hand under the table and gently squeezed her legging, showing her that it was okay. A slight smile came over her face.

Just then the timer went off. Haley's face took on a sigh of relief.

"Dinner's done. I'll be right back."

"Here, I'll help you," Nathan offered.

"Okay," Haley said. She smiled at him.

They walked into the kitchen together.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about that. Peyton is just really protective of me," Nathan said.

"Don't worry about it. She's right. And she has every right to be angry at me and to protect you. You are her best friend."

"I know, but she shouldn't be so nasty about it. We all came here to have a nice dinner."

"Nathan, honestly I wasn't really expecting a nice dinner. I knew there would be some mean things said."

"You don't deserve it Haley. It's not her business."

"Nathan, I do deserve it. I'm prepared. It may kill me, but it's something that is guaranteed to happen."

Nathan pulled her into a hug.

"C'mon put a smile on your face, make the world a better place," Nathan tried singing.

"You know me all too well. You are so incredible you know that?"

In the other room Brooke was still slightly mad with Peyton's outburst, but then again it was expected.

"Peyton, what the hell is the matter with you?" Brooke said angrily.

"I'm just sticking up for my friend. I'm not going to pretend everything is fine because it's not!"

"And do you really think that by yelling at her you're going to make things fine?" Brooke replied.

"I'm not going to let her get away with the idea that everything is okay and what she did was okay!"

"What she did wasn't okay. She feels guilty though, she's sorry. All she wants is her friends back and you can't even give her that satisfaction can you?"

"Brooke! Who's side are you on here?"

"I'm not taking a side, but I'm not just going to sit back and watch you tear apart my friend either!"

"Lucas help me out here," Peyton said.

"I'm not getting into this. I came here to settle things and arguing with you two is just going to make everything worse."

"Aren't you just the least bit mad at Haley?" Peyton asked.

"Mad? No. Upset, hurt, disappointed, frustrated? Yes. However, now is not the time."

"You may not have another time."

"It would be really stupid of us to just never see each other again. Believe me I will tell Haley how I feel, just not tonight. This means way too much to Nathan."

Next: The rest of dinner. Drama? A truce?


	12. Empty Apartment

Haley walked into the dining room with a smile plastered on her face

Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate them so much. Thank you to all of you who have stuck with this story, and thanks to new readers for jumping on board. This chapter has everyone together again and some Naley at the end. Enjoy!

I do not own OTH or it's characters. This chapter is called "Empty Apartment" by Yellowcard.

Waking up from this nightmare  
How's your life, what's it like there?  
Is it all what you want it to be?  
Does it hurt when you think about me?  
And how broken my heart is  
Take you away from that empty apartment  
You stay and forget where the heart is  
Someday if ever you love me you'd say it's okay  
It's okay to be angry and never let go  
It only gets harder the more that you know  
When you get lonely if no one's around  
You know that I'll catch you when you're falling down  
We came together but you left alone  
And I know how it feels to walk out on your own  
Maybe someday I will see you again  
And you'll look me in my eyes and call me your friend

Haley walked into the dining room with a smile plastered on her face. She wasn't going to let one outburst ruin the night. Actually, she kind of expected things like this to happen.

"Dinners ready," Haley said serving everyone.

"Looks great Hales!" Lucas pointed out.

"Yeah, where did you learn to cook?" Peyton asked. She was trying to make up for her outburst early, even though she was still angry.

"I took up a class in college. I had a lot of free time."

"Haley, I'm sorry I flipped out earlier. It was totally out of place," Peyton confessed.

"Peyton don't worry, you don't have to apologize."

"Yeah, I really do."

"I deserved it."

"No, you invited me into your home for dinner. I should be thanking you, not shunning you."

"Let's just forget it," Haley offered. She didn't want to argue anymore. She especially didn't want to argue about arguing.

"The food doesn't just look good, it's really good tutor girl," Brooke said.

"Why thank you very much."

"So Lucas, how is working at Tree Hill High?" Brooke asked.

"Well, my team sucks. It's funny though. Like our pictures are hanging up in the halls from like graduation portraits. Some of the old teachers still work there. Some people still ask me about the state championship," Lucas said.

"You guys did win right?" Haley asked.

"Of course we did. Had a little bit of trouble, but we won in the end." The trouble was really that Nathan wasn't going to come to the game. He said there was no point in achieving his dream if the love of his life wasn't there to watch him. He almost didn't come, but Brooke told him that it was what Haley would have wanted him to do. It still took some convincing. So Peyton told him that if Haley could achieve her dream, Nathan should be able to achieve his too.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you guys. And I'm sure Peyton and Brooke here did a wonderful job cheering you on."

"Of course we did and we won first in states that year. That Becky Wojda had nothing on me," Brooke said.

"Well, no one could defeat cheer captain of the world Brooke Davis could they?" Haley said jokingly.

"Not a chance in the world," Brooke conquered.

They five of the friends talked. They filled the room with idle chatter. It was mostly questions about their jobs, their family, and memories. There was nothing serious spoken of, and that's really how they all wanted it to be; for now.

"Well, I guess it's time to clean up. You all can take a look around if you'd like," Haley said beginning to clear the table.

"Oh, I'd love to," Peyton said.

"I'll stay here and help you Haley," Nathan said.

"Yeah me too," Lucas said. He wanted to spend more time with his former best friend. He knew that he would eventually have to go back to Tree Hill, and he wanted to make sure he spent as much time with her as he could. And since Lucas was always meddling, he wanted to see if there was any chemistry left between Nathan and Haley.

"You two really don't have to," Haley said.

"I want to. I want to spend time with you before I go back," Lucas said.

"Oh, don't remind me that you have to leave," Haley said. She didn't want them to ever go back to Tree Hill. In some ways it felt like they had never left each others side.

"Come on P. Sawyer, I want to show you this house. If you weren't married we could so buy one and make it our 'single and ready to mingle' pad," Brooke said pulling Peyton by the arm.

Peyton followed behind Brooke. Brooke led her upstairs to show you around the house. Meanwhile, Lucas, Nathan, and Haley stayed downstairs to load the dishwasher.

"I'm really glad we came over here tonight," Lucas said.

"Yeah, me too. It was a lot of fun," Haley said back.

"We should have like a monthly gathering. Next time you should come to Tree Hill," Luke said.

"That would be great. I just have to convince Matt. He's a work-a-holic."

"Well then just come by yourself," Nathan said.

"You know I can't do that. I have a daughter, I have a family."

"Bring Nattie. Everyone will lover her."

"What did you just call her?"

"Natalie."

"No, you said Nattie."

"So, what's wrong with that?" Nathan had no idea what he did wrong. It was the girl's nick name.

"She only let's Matt call her that. I can't even call her that," Haley said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it offensively or anything. I just liked the nickname."

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not used to other people calling her that."

"So she really makes you call her Natalie all the time?" Lucas asked.

"That or Nat. She's a daddy girl. It drives me up the wall. I'm with that girl so much, and no matter what I do I'm never as good as Matt. I just don't understand it," Haley confessed. It made her upset that Natalie was closer to Matt, even though she and Haley spend more time together. She tried to get Natalie to take to her more but she just couldn't. Sure Natalie loved her, but sometimes Haley wished she loved her more.

"Haley, the girl is crazy about you," Nathan said rubbing her back.

"I know. It's just she likes all the things Matt likes. She likes basketball and going to the park and playing games. She doesn't like art or dance or music or playing guitar."

"Haley, she's three. I don't even think she knows what art is," Lucas said smiling at her.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Besides, who can blame a girl for liking basketball? It's fun to watch and she gets to see guys running around," Lucas said.

"And that is why you are not a parent yet. Mothers do not want their children checking out guys at the age of three," Nathan said.

"Are you going to have kids soon Luke?" Haley inquired.

"Yeah, as soon as Riley's ready. She wants to be thirty. Honestly, I want a baby right now. It just feels right you know?" Lucas said.

"There's nothing like being a parent," Haley said.

"Yeah, it's just I thought I'd wait until we were both financially stable, but we are already. Then I thought I'd wait until Peyton or Nathan had a kid so they could be friends, but Peyton will probably never have kids."

"Hey, technically I have a kid. I just don't know where she is," Nathan said.

"But you'll find her eventually," Haley said.

"It just sucks you know? I missed out on the first three years of my daughters life. I missed the biggest 'firsts,'" Nathan said.

"Nathan three years isn't that long. You still have her first crush, her first date, her first car, the first time she learns to ride a bike, the first time she's in a school play, and so many more," Haley said hugging him.

"I know. Still how would you like if you didn't get to meet Natalie until today?"

"It would suck, but I would cherish her. I wouldn't love her any less. Sure, I would be really disappointed, but I would rather miss the first three years than miss the last ninety seven years," Haley said honestly.

"So Luke, you really don't think Peyton will ever have kids?" Nathan asked. He wanted to change the subject. The subject of his kid was way over done. However, Haley had just put everything into perspective for him. He realized it would be better to miss three years than to miss ninety seven. He figured it was better to spend the rest of her life with her, than to have had her for the first three years and then lose her.

"No, she has made that clear several times."

"Well I thought she was just fooling herself. I think she secretly wants little Jude's running around."

"No, I think she's afraid of losing them. I think she wants them. I just think she's afraid. I don't think they'll ever have them."

"Peyton would be a great mom," Nathan said.

"I know that, and you know that, but she doesn't know that. I mean she lost her real mom and she lost Ellie."

"Yeah, I guess so. Why is life so depressing?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know. I just love the fact that the three of us had like the biggest heart to heart ever," Haley said smiling.

"I miss all of us being together," Lucas said.

"I miss high school. Everything was so incredibly simple back then," Haley said.

"You know all my life I swore I couldn't wait to grow up. Now I'm here and I just want to be a kid today. I just want to go back to the days of a crappy ass dad bossing me around, a work-a-holic, and free throws in my driveway," Nathan said.

"Tell me about it. I just want to go back to a house of like a trillion siblings," Haley said.

"I want to go back to junior year," Lucas said.

"Yeah, what I wouldn't give to be back there," Nathan said.

Haley grabbed both the boys in a hug and just started crying. She missed them. She truly missed them. She couldn't believe how much things had changed, and yet how so many had stayed the same.

"I missed you," Haley said.

"I missed you too," Lucas said.

They all pulled out of the hug. They heard Brooke and Peyton laughing extremely loud from upstairs.

"You know what I find really odd?" Lucas asked.

"What?" Nathan and Haley said in unison.

"Jinx!" Haley exclaimed.

"Some things really have not changed! Haley is still five," Nathan said sticking out his tongue.

"At lease I'm not four like you," Haley said laughing.

"Okay back to me, the thirty year old," Lucas said jokingly.

"Oh, yeah what's odd?" Nathan asked.

"Brooke and Peyton."

"Them laughing? Or them being friends?" Haley asked confused.

"No neither. They have been best friends for just as long as we have, yet they barely did anything when they saw each other. They just kind of hugged. Now they're just running off in your house," Lucas said.

"Maybe they found it more happy than sad?" Haley offered.

"I don't know. I just though, them being girls, and Brooke and Peyton both being infamous criers, that there would be some be some big to do about it," Lucas said.

"That is really weird. I mean I couldn't even talk when I saw Nathan," Haley said.

"It was because you were so mesmerized by my body," Nathan said.

"Exactly," Haley said rolling her eyes.

"Do you think they like talk?" Nathan asked.

"That's what I was thinking. I mean they seem like they've seen each other more than once every ten years. I mean Brooke even said she wanted a house with her."

"No, Brooke would have said something to me. I mean we are best friends. I tell her everything, she tells me everything," Haley said.

"Maybe she just thought things would get too complicated if you knew she talked to Peyton," Lucas said.

"Well, that means Peyton has been keeping it a secret from us for years then too."

"I just don't understand why they would do something like that. Brooke would have told me where Nathan was."

"I don't know but I really want to find out," Nathan said.

Nathan, Haley, and Lucas walked into the living room where Brooke and Peyton were sitting. They were laughing hysterically.

"Hey Brooke I have something to ask you," Haley said. She had a serious look on her face.

"Yeah, what is it tutor girl? Is something wrong?"

"No. Have you and Peyton been talking these past ten years?"

"What? Hal…Haley…What would give you that idea?" Brooke said stammering.

"Brooke, just tell me the truth."

Brooke looked at Peyton. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to lie, but she knew everything would blow up if Haley knew.

"Yeah," Brooke said quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Haley asked. She had a sad look in her eye. She felt betrayed.

"I just didn't want everything to be a mess. I just needed to talk to my other best friend once in a while. I wanted to tell you, I really did," Brooke said.

"I can't believe you!" Haley screamed.

"Why is it such a big deal? So what? I talked to Peyton!" Brooke said back.

"You knew how Nathan was doing! You knew it the whole time! You watched me cry every night and you didn't say a damned thing!" Haley said crying.

"Haley I didn't want you to get hurt."

"And watching me crying didn't make you think I was hurt? You knew I wondered where he and everyone else was all the time and you just sat back and watched," Haley cried.

"You knew too Peyton?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah," Peyton said quietly.

"You knew where she was? I spent years looking for her, and you knew her exact location?" Nathan screamed.

"Nathan! You know that if I told you, you would have flew to New York, and got your heart broken yet again! I did it for you!" Peyton screamed back.

"You did it for me? You watched me go into deep depression? You watched me give up basketball? You did that all for me? Wow, Peyton you are such a great friend!"

"Nathan! How dare you? I was there for you all the time. I wanted to protect you from some girl that broke your heart! And now just because she's back you're acting like that meant nothing! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What the hell is wrong with both of you?" Lucas chimed in, looking at Brooke and Peyton.

"Lucas! This has nothing to do with you!"

"Okay, so all that time I wanted to apologize to Brooke, and all those times I worried about my best friend, and all those times I sat up until five in the morning watching my brother pour his heart out, have absolutely nothing to do with me?" Lucas yelled back.

"See! This is exactly why we didn't want to tell you! Because you all would just get mad at the world! Peyton and I were the only ones not mad or upset!" Brooke yelled.

"So you weren't at all hurt that you never got to see me again Peyton?" Haley yelled.

"Brooke, do I mean nothing to you?" Nathan asked.

"That's not what I meant. I just didn't want to see you all fight!" Brooke yelled.

"No Brooke! You're just selfish! You're a selfish person!" Lucas screamed.

"I'm selfish? Look who's calling the kettle black! You cheat on me what? Like three times? And I'm the selfish one? Screw you Lucas!" Brooke screamed back at him.

"I can't believe you betrayed me like this! You're the only person I counted on and you didn't even care about me!" Haley yelled at Brooke.

"The only person? Did you forget about your husband Matt? Or did you just forget him while you were thinking about Nathan so much? Did you forget you had a husband Haley? Because you obviously just left your first one, so I'm pretty sure you wouldn't care about forgetting your second one," Brooke yelled.

"How dare you yell at Brooke? You left Haley! You're the one that made everything a mess! Just shut your mouth! Stop blaming other people! You're the only one to blame here!" Peyton yelled.

Haley broke down in tears. She fell to the ground and sobbed.

"Haley, I'm sorry I didn't mean it," Brooke said walking toward her.

"No Brooke, just go home. Just go! I though you were my best friend, but I guess I had nobody all along. I screwed up, okay? What the hell do you all want from me? Just go home," Haley said.

"Haley, c'mon," Brooke pleaded. She was crying too. She didn't mean what she said. She was just mad and upset. She loved Haley.

"Just go," Haley whispered.

Brooke just shook her head. She pulled Peyton's arm and they walked out the door.

"I'm sorry," Peyton whispered. They both left.

Nathan sat on the floor next to Haley and pulled her into and embrace. She cried for about a minute and then pulled away.

"As fun as this was, I think you two should just go home. Matt will be home soon, and I'm sure you two don't want to sit around and watch me cry all night," Haley said.

"We can stay Hales," Lucas said.

"No, it's okay. Call me tomorrow okay? I just need to be alone right now."

Haley hugged them both good bye.

"I love you. If you need anything just let me know okay?" Nathan whispered in her ear. She just shook her head.

"Bye Hales."

Lucas and Nathan walked out the door. They went back to Nathan's apartment. All they could talk about was how it was unfair of Brooke and Peyton not to tell them. It was in that walk home that Lucas realized that Haley was just as broken as Nathan.

When they arrived back at the house Lucas went into the bathroom to change. Peyton wasn't there. They figured it was because she went back to Brooke's place for the night.

"Hey Luke, I'll be back."

"Where you going?"

"I ran out of Red Bull, I'm going to go grab some at the store."

"Oh, can you grab me a pack of gum?" Lucas asked.

"Sure," Nathan said.

Nathan wasn't really going to the store. He was going back to see Haley. He grabbed a taxi and headed back to her house. He noticed that Matt's car still wasn't in the drive way. He hated the thought of her being alone. He rang the doorbell.

Haley walked to the door. She figured it was Matt. He usually rang the door bell late at night so that he wouldn't scare her if he just walked in. She opened the door and her face smiled slightly when she saw Nathan.

"What are you doing here?" Haley asked.

"I needed to make sure you're okay." He noticed that Haley was in a man's t-shirt and heart pajama pants. It made him jealous to see her walking around in another man's shirt.

"I'm fine," Haley said.

"No you're not. You're eyes are all puffy. You have a fake smile on and you're in comfy pajamas."

"You know me too well."

"Well, that's how it used to be when we," he wanted to say married and then didn't, "lived together."

"Yeah, but I'm just wearing this shirt because it's Lucas'" Haley confessed.

"You stole his shirt?" Nathan asked confused.

"No, when I left I grabbed one of your shirts and one of Luke's. I needed something to remember you two by. I used to wear your shirt all the time, but the smell started wearing away, and I never wanted to lose that smell so I put it in a box. Now, I wear Luke's shirt whenever I'm sad or thinking of you guys."

Nathan was so excited that she had one of his t-shirts and that she actually wore it.

"I'm sorry everything became incredibly messed up tonight," Nathan said.

"Hey, it's not your fault. Peyton's right. She was there for you, and I wasn't. You should probably be talking to her, not me," Haley said.

"I don't want to talk to her. I want to talk to you," Nathan said.

"Well thank you. It's nice not to be so alone."

"Where's Matt?"

"He's staying at his sister's. He just found out that she's pregnant. She's not married. All hell is breaking lose. She needs his support," Haley said.

"Oh, not too different from our events this evening."

"No, not that different. But it's not really different for me. What I mean is Matt is always out. He's always working or with his family and lately I'm just so lonely Nathan. My life is just so incredibly empty," Haley said to him.

"I'm here for you Hales. I'll always be here for you," Nathan kissed her on the forehead.

"Thanks. I just want everything to be okay, you know? I just figured if tonight went well I would have more people that cared about me around."

"Everything's going to be okay Hales, I promise."

Haley buried her head into Nathan's chest and began to cry.

"I'm sorry," Haley said.

"For what?"

"Everything."

"Me too," Nathan said.

He put his head on top of hers. She continued to cry.

"I'm sorry I left Nathan."

"You're here now."

"I know, but I wish I never left in the first place."

Haley continued to cry until she was asleep on Nathan's lap.


	13. Down and Out

Haley walked into the dining room with a smile plastered on her face

Thank you all so much for the reviews. I enjoy reading every single one of them. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please continue to review.

I do not own OTH or it's characters, I do own Matt and Natalie. The song in this chapter is "Down and Out," by the Academy Is.

Weekend warriors and our best friends,  
The writers weren't kidding about how all good things must end.  
Then again some things, then again some things are far too good,  
Some things are far too good to go ahead and let go.  
Always up or down, never down and out.  
You dream of demons while you sleep that make you stutter when you speak.  
Always up or down, never down and out.  
You dream of demons while you sleep that make you stutter when you speak.  
Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Nathan knew that he could not stay the night. After Haley had been sleeping for about a half an hour, he gently picked up her head and stood up. He found a blanket on the back of an armchair and laid it across her. He kissed her gently on the forehead.

"I wish you never left me either," Nathan whispered. He left one dim light on and walked out of the door and headed back to his place. When he arrived at his apartment he found a note from Lucas on the kitchen counter.

"Hope everything went well with Hales tonight. See you in the morning."

Nathan figured that Lucas would know where he had wondered off to for two hours. Lucas was too smart to think that Nathan could have possibly been at the store that late buying two things. He crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash. He walked into his living room where he saw Lucas sprawled out on the couch. Then he headed to his own room.

"Okay, unknown force up there, I'm going to keep this short tonight. Please keep all my patients healthy, and let them know that I wish I could be there with them. Please help me find my daughter. Let Matt know that I'm most likely not going to try to do anything with Haley because he's a good guy. More importantly, give me the strength not to try anything with Haley. I don't have will power that strong. Oh, please let this whole Brooke and Peyton thing just blow over. Make sure Haley knows that Brooke loves her, because she really does. Please let Haley feel not so lonely anymore. And as always keep my daughter safe. Thanks."

Nathan drifted off into a deep sleep.

The next morning Haley woke up. She had trouble figuring out why she was sleeping on the coach and then she remembered. She smiled at the fact that Nathan covered her up. She wondered if he had stayed or if he went home. She looked around the house and did not see him. She looked on the kitchen table and saw a note from him.

"Hope you slept well. Give me a call today. Everything's going to be okay. –Nathan"

She smiled at the note. She looked at the clock and noticed it was seven in the morning. She didn't see Matt anywhere. She was disappointed. He was never home. She figured he was working by now; which reminded her that she had to go get ready for work herself. She knew that Natalie would be taken to school be her friends mother. Haley wished that she could take off of work. She needed to clear her mind and spend the day with her friends, but she knew that wasn't possible. She went into the shower, got dressed, and grabbed everything she needed for the day. When she looked at her phone she realized that she had thirty missed calls and a full voicemail box. She looked to see who it was and noticed that they were all from Brooke, except for three. One was from Matt telling her that he would be home around six for dinner. The other was from Lucas asking if she wanted to hang out after she got home for work. The last was Nathan making sure that everything was okay. All of Brooke's voicemails were basically her apologizing profusely and asking Haley to hang out. Haley knew that she would forgive Brooke eventually, but she just didn't feel like dealing with it right now. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

Nathan woke up later in the morning and realized that he had about two hours before he had to meet Matt at the office. To be honest he really didn't feel like going. Sure, he wanted to find his daughter, but he just wanted to spend the day with his friends, especially Haley. He noticed that Lucas was not on the couch anymore. He looked in the apartment and found him in the dining room eating cereal. He walked over to him, grabbed a bowl and began eating too.

"Morning little brother," Lucas said.

"Yeah, you too."

"How'd things go with Hales last night?"

"How do you know I went there?"

"Well then where's my pack of gum?"

"Point taken."

"Is she okay?"

"She'll be okay. She just cried a lot."

"You were there pretty late man."

"Yeah, well Matt was not home yet again."

"You think she's lonely?"

"Oh yeah. You want to know what else I think?"

"What?"

"That she's lying to us all."

"About?" Lucas asked confused.

"Haley is not happy."

"You don't know that. She might just be having a bad week."

"Look, Luke, I know Haley better than anyone, and I know for a fact that she is not happy."

"Are you sure you're not just saying that because you want Haley for yourself? Do you think you could make her happy?"

"No, it's not that. Like last night she talked about how Natalie didn't like her as much as Matt even though he's never around. Then she tells me that her life is empty. She's not happy."

"Well, it must be hard having a top notch lawyer as a husband."

"Dude, is that all you have to say?"

"Look, I would say more but I don't want you getting any ideas. Nathan, she may not be happy, but this is her life."

"She's broken Lucas. I've never seen her so sad."

"You don't think I didn't realize that? I know she's sad, but Nathan I think it's just because she realized that she missed out on ten years with her friends. I think overall she's happy with her life, but she just realized that she could have been even happier."

"Yeah, I guess. I just want her to be happy."

"Isn't that what we all want?"

Nathan and Lucas finished eating. Nathan went to jump in the shower and Lucas figured he should call Haley again.

"Hey Luke!" Haley chimed into the phone.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing really. I'm at work. It's kind of a slow day. What's up?"

"Nothing, I have nothing to do at all today."

"Well, maybe you should stop being so weird, then people would stop looking at you funny and want to hang out."

"You're just so funny Haley," Lucas said jokingly. "Would you like to hang out with weird me today?"

"I would love to, as long as you're not too weird."

"I promise that I won't be."

"Okay, deal. When?"

"Whenever you are free."

"How about we do lunch? I'm free at two for lunch."

"Okay, sounds great."

"Okay, I'll swing by Nathan's and grab you."

"Okay, see you later."

Lucas hung up the phone with Haley and began to get everything ready for the day. He was excited to spend some one on one time with his best friend. He missed Haley and he knew that he could crack her to tell him anything.

"Hey, Luke I'm going to head down to Matt's office. You doing anything today?"

"Yeah, I'm having lunch with Hales."

"Okay, see you after. Tell her I say hi."

Nathan walked out the door and head toward Matt's office. He arrived and did not bother checking in. He just went straight into Matt's room.

"Hey Nathan," Matt said standing up to shake Nathan's hand.

"Hey man. How's it going?"

"It's going. Just found out my sister was pregnant and we told the dad last night. It was crazy."

"Yeah, Haley told me."

"So you hung out with Haley last night?"

"Yeah, she had some people from Tree Hill over for dinner. They all just came into town to visit me."

"Oh that's good. It's good for her to have some company."

"Yeah, we had fun. So anything new?"

"Actually, yeah we have some really great news."

"Okay, give it to me."

"We have found Kali. She told us that she gave the baby up for adoption to one of the biggest adoption agencies in America. So all we have to do is find out which location and convince the agency to leak the information. Hopefully, it'll all happen within the next couple of months."

"That's great. Did Kali say anything about me trying to find the baby?"

"She said that she wanted no contact with you or the baby. She also said that you better not take the baby away from a good home if she has already been adopted."

"What if that happens?"

"You mean that she is adopted?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's up to you to talk with the parents about having contact with her. Honestly, I'm just hoping that she hasn't been adopted yet. I'm going to warn you now that things could get very complicated if she's in a nice home right now."

"Okay, I'm prepared. Is there anything you need me to do?"

"No, just sit back and wait. I'll handle the rest."

"Okay, thank you. When should I come back?"

"Come back next week Wednesday. This way we'll have an entire week for something to pop up."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Actually, I'll probably see you before that. I want to meet all of Haley's old friends."

"Yeah, just give me a call or something."

Nathan left the office and began his journey home. However, he decided to change his direction and head towards Brooke's place. He wanted to see Peyton.

In the mean time Haley had picked up Lucas and they were at a small café for lunch. They had both ordered and were waiting on their meals.

"This place kind of reminds me of the café back home," Haley said.

"Yeah, we had some good times there."

"How's your mom doing?"

"She's doing great. She's still running the café. She actually married Keith."

"No way! I kind of expected that though. I mean they were meant to be together."

"Yeah, some people are just meant to be together."

"They were pretty much destined from the start. I can't believe I missed that wedding."

"Actually you didn't miss it."

"I didn't?" Haley asked confused.

"Well my mom tried for months to find you but she just couldn't. So she made a cut-out of you."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it was really creepy."

"So did I just stand there the entire time?"

"Pretty much. Well, some little kid picked you up to dance. It was cute."

Haley couldn't stop laughing.

"So you and Peyton didn't really work out?"

"No, you know when I was with Brooke I just thought I was destined to be with Peyton. Then I went after her and I realized we both wanted different things. We always fought and we were just better off as friends."

"See, I thought you two were meant to be together."

"I could say the same thing about you and Nathan."

"Lucas, do we really have to get into this right now?"

"No, I'm just telling you what I think."

"Well thank you for that opinion."

"You know we will have to talk about it sometime Hales."

"No, we really don't. You just keep telling yourself that Lucas Scott."

"C'mon Hales, I haven't seen you in ten years and you know we're not going to be able to get back to normal until we talk about it."

"I know you're just going to tell Nathan everything though, and I just don't want to get into that."

"I'm your best friend and I wouldn't do that."

"I may be one of your best friends, but he's your brother."

"Look, I'm sworn to secrecy. Just let me in. We used to tell each other everything."

"Okay, fine. What do you want to know?"

"Why didn't you at lease say good bye to me?"

"I knew it would be too hard. I thought you would talk me into staying and I knew I couldn't do that to myself or Nathan."

"I wouldn't have told you to stay."

Haley just gave Lucas a look, she knew he was lying.

"Okay, maybe I would have asked you to stay."

"Exactly."

"So why'd you listen to Dan? I would have helped you or Nathan would have figured something out."

"Honestly, it was convenient. I didn't want Nathan to give up his dreams for me and I didn't want him to think his father was a terrible person. Besides, I had an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I just always thought I would come back after the whole thing blew over."

"So why didn't you come back?"

"I tried. I went to Duke, Nathan wasn't there. I went to Tree Hill. I went to our old apartment and looked to see if his car was outside his parents. When I found Brooke I asked her and she said she had no idea what had happened to Nathan."

"Well that's why you didn't come back to Nathan, but why didn't you come back to the rest of us?"

"I don't know. I was scared you would all hate me, which you all do know anyway so I guess it wouldn't have made that much of a difference."

"I do not hate you."

"You don't like what I did."

"No I don't."

"Well, what do you think about all of this Lucas?" She was afraid to hear his answer but she truly wanted his opinion. She wanted to know what her best friend felt about her. She figured it was now or never considering they were by themselves.

"I think that what you did to Nathan was really crappy, but I kind of understand."

"Thanks for taking care of Nathan. I'm really sorry Lucas. If I could go back and change everything I would, but I can't."

"Haley look I know I'm letting you off easy. But Haley you need to know that you killed that man and I need you to help me make everything okay for him again. I spent so many nights sitting up with him, but I could never help fill the void in his heart of where you used to be. He's been so happy since he's seen you again and I need to know that you're not going to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere. I need you to keep convincing Nathan than he and I cannot be together though, okay?"

"Would you ever leave Matt for him?"

"Lucas, I'm married I can't let my past dictate my future."

"Okay. But do you really want to stay with Matt? Or are you just staying because you want to do what everyone else thinks is right?"

"I love Matt."

"But Haley are you happy? Do you see yourself living a happy life with him?"

Haley looked at him with her big brown eyes. She didn't know what to say. "No, I'm not happy."

Lucas just stared at her and then gave her a hug.

"It's not like I have never been happy with Matt. In the beginning it was amazing and right after Natalie was born everything was great. I was so happy. Now he's working all the time and I'm always home alone. I've wanted to travel and go back to Tree Hill and he says he doesn't want to take time off. I'm just really lonely Luke."

"Well, it doesn't have to be like that anymore."

"I can't leave Matt; it would just be so selfish."

"Haley you've already done some pretty selfish things, I think it's okay if you do just one more."

"He's too perfect for me to leave I would feel bad."

"Too perfect? And yet you're not happy?"

"No, like really he's perfect. He never does a thing wrong and he treats me like royalty. I would feel bad leaving him. It really sucks because I'm afraid to mess up and make mistakes. I don't want to seem like a failure compared to this perfect man you know. I'm always watching my every action and every word."

"Haley, you shouldn't feel bad about doing something that makes you happy."

"Lucas I have a daughter that loves her father and I really do love Matt. I love my family."

"Okay, but are you in love with Matt?"

"Not anymore. I mean Nathan came back and I realize how much happier I could have been."

"Then change that Haley."

"Lucas I would if I could, but I can't just give up a family for something that might not even work out."

"Okay, whatever you say Hales."

"Promise you won't say anything?"

"Pinky promise."

Lucas and Haley reached out their hands to seal the deal.

Nathan rang the doorbell and Brooke's apartment.

Brooke answered the door. Her eyes were puffy and she was sitting in pajamas.

"Hey," she said meekly.

"No work for you today?"

"No, I couldn't think of anything else but you and Haley, especially Haley."

"Oh," Nathan said.

"Look Nathan I'm really sorry about last night I really didn't mean anything."

"Brooke, something was bound to happen. Honestly, I'm okay. I really don't care. Just try to patch things up with Haley; she was really upset last night."

"Yeah, I've called a bunch of times but she never answered."

"Well she probably just needs sometime. I mean her best friend just attacked her."

"I really am sorry. I was just so angry at her for yelling at me. And I was angry at myself for not telling Haley about talking to Peyton."

"Look, Brooke, I don't really need an explanation. Just apologize to Haley and don't pull any crap like that again."

"Deal."

"So where's Peyton?"

"She went to go to see some art gallery so she could clear her head. She should be back soon if you want to wait here."

"Nah, I'll just come back later tonight. And try apologizing to Haley."

"I will, believe me I will. If all goes well are you free tonight?"

"Yeah, just call me."

Nathan walked down the steps and headed back toward his own apartment. He walked in and saw Lucas sitting on the coach watching television.

"Hey man," Lucas said.

"Hey, how'd lunch with Haley go?"

"Nathan," Lucas hesitated.

"Yeah?"

"You have to go after her."


	14. Lonely World

"Lucas what the hell are you talking about

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! Last chapter was my most reviewed so I just wanted to say thank you so much. Please review this chapter and let me know what you think.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song in this chapter is "Lonely World," by Bryan Greenberg.

Such a lonely boy, couldn't find the joy within.  
Such a lonely girl, such a lonely world we're living in.  
I watch it all go by.  
Can't find a tear to cry.  
A tear to cry.  
It's so obvious how they need each other.  
They want and bleed and hurt but they keep it covered. Until it's one big lie. They can't stay alone cuz they fear goodbyes, well, they fear goodbyes. They fear goodbyes.  
He don't say much, when there ain't much to say. She waits for his responce, she waits all day. The world keeps spinning in a silent scream and I keep waking in these dying dreams.  
I asked her for the time, she said the timing was off. But I got this pain inside she said it's all you've got. I got this feeling that life is passing me by, I'm a couple of years late but I, I'm here tonight. I'm here tonight, well, I'm here tonight.

"Lucas what the hell are you talking about?"

"You two need to be together."

"Lucas as much as I would love to be with her, she's married."

"Nathan just go after her!"

"What did she say to you today?"

"Nothing. You two are just perfect for each other."

"I'm not setting myself up for rejection again."

"Nathan you won't be rejected."

"She has made it very clear that we can't be together. I'm not just going to keep throwing myself at her because eventually she'll just throw me out."

"She won't throw you out."

"Lucas, do we really have to get into this again? I'm not going to lose Haley again, and if I go after her she won't talk to me anymore. Another rejection just might kill me."

"Fine. Don't take my advice but you'll be regretting it later."

"Whatever man."

"Anything good happen at the lawyers?"

"No not really. They just know what agency it's at, but they have locations all across the country so it doesn't help much."

"It does narrow down the search though."

"Yeah I guess. Want to go grab food?"

"Is that all you do? Order out?"

"Do you really want me to cook?"

"Good point. Pizza?"

"Good for me."

Haley got home from work. She picked up Natalie on the way. It was just going to be the two of them until Matt got home from work.

"How was your day baby girl?" Haley asked pulling her daughter into her lap on the couch.

"It was good. I painted a picture for you and daddy."

"Oh really? I bet it's beautiful."

"It's a bubberfly mommy."

"A butterfly? I love those."

"Really?"

"Yes I do."

"Is daddy coming home tonight?" The little girl asked with big hopeful eyes.

"I think so. How about the three of us have dinner together?"

"Yeah! What about Mr. Scott and Aunt Brookie? Can they come too?"

"Well, I don't know if Mr. Scott has plans honey."

"Well what about Aunt Brookie?"

"How about it just be the three of us baby?"

"Okay. Will you cook?"

"Anything you want sweetie."

"Macaroni and cheese!"

"You know daddy doesn't like that sweetie. He thinks it's for little kids." It made Haley kind of sad they could never eat macaroni and cheese. Haley and Natalie ate it together once in a while, but they never ate it all together. She missed the days when she and Nathan would sit down and eat it together.

"Okay, how about that chicken stuff you make?"

"Okay sounds perfect. Want to help me?"

"Yeah!" Natalie screamed. She loved to help Haley in the kitchen.

Natalie and Haley continued to cook dinner together. Haley would let Natalie do little things like feel the measuring cup and sprinkle a spice.

"My two favorite women!" Matt exclaimed when he walked into the house.

"Daddy!" Natalie exclaimed. She ran up to him and hugged his leg.

"Hey Nattie! I miss you honey!"

"I miss you too! I haven't seen you in like three whole days." Natalie picked up her fingers and showed him the number three.

Matt picked up Natalie and put her on his shoulders. Then he walked over to Haley and kissed her.

"I missed you," Matt said.

"I missed you too. I've been missing you a lot lately."

"I know. I'm so sorry work is so crazy baby."

"It's okay. I just wish you were home more."

"Yeah me too!" Natalie chimed in from his shoulders.

"I wish I was home more too. Now what are you two lovely girls cooking?"

"Take it away Natalie."

"Well, we're making that chicken thing momma always makes. Then were having Julianne salad, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and a chocolate mousse pie for desert."

"Wow! That's an awful lot."

"Well little Natalie here got very excited about all the cooking."

"Well I'm excited to eat it all. I'm going to go do some reading until dinners ready."

"Can I come with you daddy?"

"Don't you want to finish cooking?"

"I want to read with you."

"Go on," Haley said.

Natalie and Matt walked into the living room and sat on the couch together.

Haley cried as she tossed the Julianne salad. She wondered how life had become so different in such a short amount of time. Last month she would have found this as a normal day, but now that all of her friends were back she realized that there was a different, better side to happiness.

An hour later dinner was ready and the three of them sat down to eat.

"How was your day baby?" Matt asked Haley. He was smiling at her.

"It was okay. I went out to lunch with Lucas. Work was kind of slow."

"Yeah, Nathan told me that they were in town. How did all of that go?"

"It was nice to have everyone back together."

"Everyone still the same?"

"The same and yet really different. I don't know everyone is so grown up."

"Well, I'm glad you got to see them."

"Yeah, me too."

"Anything fun happen or interesting or dramatic?"

"There was a fight at the end of the night. It's okay though. It'll all be worked out."

"Oh, so nothing too serious?" Matt questioned.

"Well, it all depends on how you look at it. I'm ready to forgive and forget so it's fine."

"Well that's good. I don't want my beautiful wife to be upset about anything."

"I'd like to meet your friends sometime."

"Yeah me too! I want to meet people you hung out with in school," Natalie said. She had heard stories about Haley' friends from high school occasionally. Sometimes Haley would tell Natalie about the things she did in high school. Sometimes she told her about the things that she and Lucas had done when they were very small.

"Okay, I'll let them know. We can have a game night or go to the park or something."

"Game night! Game night!" Natalie chanted.

Haley laughed. "Okay, a game night it is."

"Are they staying in town long?"

"I don't think so. They're both married and have jobs. I think a week or two."

"Oh, that's not too bad. Are they going to come back?"

"Well, actually I've decided that I'll go down there one month and they'll come up here the next month."

"What about work and Natalie?"

"I'll bring you two with me. We can go on the weekends or take some time off. You'll love Tree Hill."

"Well, if I can fit a trip into my work schedule then I would love to go with you."

"I want to go! Road trip!" Natalie said.

"Yes, we'll have a lot of fun! You can go see all the places mommy grew up at."

The three continued to talk about everything. Haley was hurt that Matt wasn't excited to go to Tree Hill. How was it possible that in a matter of a week her whole perspective on life had changed?

Natalie went upstairs to play house in her room. Haley and Matt sat on the couch together.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much," Matt said.

"I just think you should take some time off you know?"

"I would love to, but I can't. I am so busy."

"It'll only be a few days. I want to go someplace or do something."

"We will, soon. I promise."

"Are you going to leave tonight?" Haley asked with sad eyes.

"No, I'm going to stay right here with you. You want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I love you Haley. I love you more than work."

"I just wish you would show me that sometime Matt."

Matt pulled her into a hug.

"Listen to me. I love you more than anyone or anything in the world. I may work a lot, but I just like helping people. I like my job. This summer we'll go on a trip okay?"

"You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Okay, I'm holding that to you mister."

"I love you Haley."

"I love you too. You better go read to Natalie though, she misses you."

"Okay." Matt kissed the top of Haley's head and headed upstairs to read to Natalie.

Haley heard her cell phone ringing and went to answer it.

"Hey," Haley said meekly.

"I'm so incredibly sorry," Brooke cried into the phone.

"I know. I'm sorry for freaking out at you."

"You had every right to. Best friends don't hide stuff from each other. I didn't mean anything by it. You know I love you right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Okay, good. You mean so much to me tutor mom and I don't ever want to hurt you. I was just upset and angry."

"It's fine. I forgive you."

"Okay good. Girls day tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. Bring Peyton."

"Okay I will. We're both so sorry. We were so out of line."

"Brooke it's okay."

"You are such a good friend. I do not know how you or Scott are so forgiving."

"I think we learned there's no time to be mad. So girl's day tomorrow okay?"

"Yeah, bye Hales."

"Bye."

Haley sunk into her chair. She couldn't believe she had the opportunity to hang out with these people again. As a matter of fact she couldn't believe where life was taking her.

About an hour passed and Matt was still up in Natalie's room reading to her. Haley was bored. She decided to call Nathan.

"Hey you," Nathan said into the phone.

"Hi," Haley said.

"What are you up to?"

"Matt's upstairs with Natalie and I'm insanely bored. You?"

"I'm headed out to some club with Lucas and Brooke and Peyton. You should come."

"I can't." She remembered that Brooke had texted her earlier to go. She just couldn't get up and leave Matt and Natalie.

"Why not?"

"Matt and Natalie are here. I told Matt he should be home more. I don't want to be a hypocrite."

"How'd that conversation go?"

"He told me he likes work."

"He should like you more than he likes work."

"He said he loves me and that we could take a trip or something at the end of the year. I'm just sick of him being away all the time that's all."

"It's okay to feel that way Hales."

"I'm lonely Nathan and I'm not happy."

"What? I thought you said everything was great."

"It used to be. Now I'm just lonely all the time."

"I understand. I'm usually really lonely too."

"Usually?"

"Well not anymore. I have you now."

"Yeah, you've made me really happy lately."

"I'm glad. Matt will come around. It'll all be okay."

"I hope so."

"Listen, even if Matt isn't there for you all the time I'm here for you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"I wish this timing wasn't so crappy."

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean that I wish you could have came around when I was happier."

"When you were single?"

"Not exactly, just happy."

"It may be a little late in finding each other but I'm here now."

"You're too perfect you know that?"

"I am pretty great."

"I'm really glad we're friends you know?"

"I'm happy about it too. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Girl's day with Brooke and Peyton because Brooke will not stop apologizing."

"Peyton is doing the same thing."

"I told Brooke it's okay. She can't get it through her head."

"Well how about tomorrow night?"

"I'm free."

"Okay, let's do something."

"Natalie wants everyone to come over for a game night. Matt wants to meet all of you."

"Perfect. Well I got to go out. Don't be sad though Hales, you're smile is too pretty."

"Thanks. Have fun. Night."

"Bye."

Haley and Nathan both hung up the phone.

"I love you," they both whispered to nobody in particular.

Nathan looked at the clock. He groaned. He glanced at the calendar.Why couldn't he have found her earlier?

NEXT: The next chapter will skip a small amount of time. I'm so excited for you all to read it.


	15. Wonderwall

A/N: Thanks for the reviews

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter because I loved writing it. Please review.

I do not own OTH or the characters. The song in this chapter is "Wonderwall" by Oasis.

Today is gonna be the day  
That they're gonna throw it back to you  
By now you should've somehow  
Realized what you gotta do  
I don't believe that anybody  
Feels the way I do about you now  
Backbeat the word was on the street  
That the fire in your heart is out  
I'm sure you've heard it all before  
But you never really had a doubt  
I don't believe that anybody feels  
The way I do about you now  
And all the roads we have to walk along are winding  
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding  
There are many things that I would  
Like to say to you  
I don't know how  
Because maybe  
You're gonna be the one who saves me ?  
And after all  
You're my wonderwall

Two months had passed. Nothing really different had happened. Nathan and Matt had still been working together to find Natalie, but every time they thought they had come close they found out that it was all a lie. Nathan was still willing to work on the case though. Matt and Nathan had hung out occasionally and became decent friends. Haley and Nathan had stayed close and Haley relied on Nathan. She told him everything, well anything that wouldn't make it seem like she wanted to be with him. Nathan had even become close with Natalie. He would take her on days that she had off and both Matt and Haley had to work. Nathan had convinced Matt to be home more, and he only took trips when it was absolutely necessary. Haley and Matt spent more time together than they had since Natalie was born. Lucas and Peyton had gone home after staying for a week, but they still all stayed in touch. They had come to visit Haley twice since they had left, and Haley was planning on visiting them this month. Matt really liked Peyton and Lucas and thought they were great people for Haley to have in her life. Life was seemingly perfect, yet to Nathan and Haley it seemed as if something was missing.

Nathan sat on his bed. He looked at his cell phone. He knew this day would come. He knew he would have to tell Haley sooner or later. He just wished that he never had to do it. He had no idea what he would say or how she would take it. He figured it was best to get over with.

"Hey there," Haley said happily into the phone. It was a Saturday. She had the entire day off and she was planning on spending it home and relaxing. Matt took Natalie to the park earlier in the day. They would be back for dinner later at night.

"Hi," Nathan replied back.

"How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. You?"

"I'm doing great. I've been reading magazines all day and watching crappy television shows."

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay, shoot."

"I kind of need to talk to you in person."

"In person?"

"Yeah, I really need to talk. Are you free at all today?"

"Did you not just hear me? I've been plopped on the couch all day. Yeah, when do you want to see me?"

"Want to come over right now?" Nathan figured the sooner he got it over with the better. He just wanted to tell her. He didn't want to keep putting it off.

"Yeah sure. Just give me like ten minutes to change."

"Just come over whenever you're ready."

"Should I be worried Nathan?"

"Honestly, I don't know Hales. I just need to tell you something."

"Okay, I'll see you in a little bit."

Haley hung up the phone. She had no idea what Nathan was about to tell her. She walked upstairs. A million thoughts ran through her head. Maybe Nathan had a girlfriend, or maybe had something to tell her about the past, or maybe Nathan was really sick. She couldn't imagine what he needed her for so urgently.

Haley jumped in her car and drove to Nathan's apartment. She got up the stairs and walked right in. It was something she had become accustomed to over the past two months. She would go over to his house and walk right in.

When she walked into the house she saw sitting on the couch. He stood up when he saw her come in. She ran over to him and hugged him really tightly.

"Is there something wrong? Please tell me nothing's wrong."

"No, nothing's wrong Haley."

"Okay, what do you have to tell me?"

"Do you want a drink or something?"

"Nathan, just cut to the chase."

"Yeah, sorry. Look, I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Leaving?" Haley asked confused.

"I'm moving back to Tree Hill."

"But you didn't find your daughter yet."

"I know. Matt's still going to work on it. I'm just not needed to do that anymore. I want to go back home. I need to get back to my kids."

"Do you really have to go Nathan?"

"Yeah, I really do."

"Are you ever going to come visit?"

"Yeah, I will. I'll come once a month with everyone else."

"That's it?"

"Haley I have a life. Besides you'll come visit too."

"What about your apartment?"

"I only rented it. It's already been rented out."

"Oh," Haley said quietly.

"I have to go back."

"I know you do. You couldn't stay here forever right?"

"Yeah," Nathan said.

"I just wish you could. Nathan what am I supposed to do without you?"

"Haley, you were fine without me, you're going to be okay now. It's not like we'll never see each other again."

"I know, it's just it's not going to be the same. I've become so attached. I have no idea what I'm going to do without you."

"You're going to be okay."

"You can't leave Nathan!" Haley screamed. She started to cry.

"I have to."

"You promised you wouldn't go anywhere Nathan! You promised you would protect me!"

"Haley, I'm just going to Tree Hill."

"You promised me Nathan! You know I need you. Now you're just leaving! You just lied to me for two whole months!"

"You promised me forever Haley! Promises don't always work out!" Nathan screamed.

"So we're back to this again?" Haley wiped her eyes and stopped screaming.

"Haley, you know it always comes back to this. You say you need me so much, but if you really did you know you would be with me."

"I do need you Nathan, but the Nathan and Haley couple ship sailed a long time ago! I need you as a friend!"

"The ship never sailed Haley! It never did and it never will! You just moved on!"

"It would have never worked out."

"Haley, I want to be together. If you want to be together, just say it, and I'll stay here forever. I'll do whatever you want me too."

"I can't do that Nathan."

"Okay, then I'm going home."

"Please don't," Haley said crying again.

"Then tell me you want to be with me."

"No, I'm with Matt, Nathan. I can't be with you and I don't want to go down that road again."

"You are such a tease!"

"A tease?"

"Yeah, you keep telling me how much you need me and how you love me and how your life is just so awful, but you won't be with me."

"Nathan you know I can't!" She started crying. Then she fell into his arms and buried herself in his chest and cried. "You know I can't Nathan. Can we just stop this?"

"Yeah, I'm going tomorrow. Let's not argue. We'll just be friends. I'm done with this arguing."

"Yet we do it all the time."

"Well we probably will never stop arguing about that."

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to miss you a hell of a lot."

"You know I'll miss you Haley. We'll see each other though."

Haley went over and hugged Nathan.

"I love you Nathan, it's just bad timing."

"I love you too Haley."

Haley and Nathan hugged for a few minutes later. Then she left. She called Matt and told him she wouldn't be coming home. She checked into a hotel in the city. She couldn't believe that he was leaving. She knew he would have to eventually, but she wasn't ready for this. She needed to be alone. She sat up thinking for a little bit and then decided to write Nathan a letter. After she was done, she fell onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning Nathan woke up. He packed everything the night before. He wanted to go see Haley again but he knew it would be too hard. He grabbed his luggage and was ready to head out the door. Before stepping out the door he noticed an envelope on the ground. He picked it up; it read "Nathan." He could recognize the writing anywhere; Haley. He had no idea when she could have possibly put it there. He opened it up. On the blank side of the paper it read; "Do not read until you're on the plane." He put the piece of paper in his carry on bag and walked out of the house. He took one last glance at the apartment and walked out.

Nathan opened the letter on the plane. He looked at it carefully. It was hand written. It smelled just like Haley.

_Dear Nathan,_

_You're probably on the plane home right now. I really wish you weren't leaving. I just want you to know that these past two months that I have had since I left you ten years ago. I know we always go back to the past, because it will always be there for us. There's no denying it. There will always be something there with us. If I could I would go back and change everything, but I can't. I could apologize for everything, but that wouldn't change everything either. It really is true what they say; you don't know what you have until it's gone. I guess I learned that the hard way. You are still the best thing that has every happened to me. I know you think I am a tease with telling you all of this, but I think you should know how I feel. I know you think we should be together, and some days I do too. It's just that I have a family now. I love my family, even though I do complain about them a lot. I guess I'm just not willing to give up a family for something that may not work out. We can make all the promises in the world, but like you said last night, those don't mean anything. What does mean something to me is you. I still can't believe you let me back into your life after everything I did to you, and everything I am still doing to you. I know I'm not perfect and I'm glad you understand that, because really nobody else understands that. You get me in a way that nobody else does. Deep down I know you understand why I can't be with you. Deep down we all know that in a perfect world we would still be together, but this world isn't perfect. So all I really want to tell you is that you mean so much to me and I'm so glad we're friends. Please don't try to give me the ultimatum to be with you anymore. I know we always go back to that, but I think in order for us to stop fighting we need to stop bringing the option of "us" up. I want you to move on Nathan. I want you to find someone that makes you happy. I want the best thing in the world for you, and I am not the best thing out there. You deserve so much better. You know when we started dating everyone thought you would be the one to screw everything up, I guess everyone was wrong. I' m the screw up. You deserve so much better than a screw up. I will always love you Nathan and my heart will always belong to you, but I can't be with you. See you soon. _

_-Always and forever, Haley_

Nathan read the letter about six more times before he arrived in Tree Hill. He took in every single word. He couldn't believe that it was really over. While he was in New York he expected that it would all work out. A little part of him thought that he and Haley would be together. Now he was home and nothing had happened at all. Haley wanted him to move on with his life, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't even think of doing that.

When Nathan got out of the airport he went to Lucas' house.

Lucas came to the door and hugged Nathan.

"Welcome home little brother."

"It's great to be back. It's really nice not having so many people plowing you over."

Nathan walked into Lucas's house and sat on the couch.

"How was your flight?"

"Depressing."

"Flights are always like that. Nothing good to do."

"No, Haley gave me this letter."

Nathan handed Lucas the letter. Lucas opened it and read it.

"It's really over?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I just thought that it would all change. I thought she would give in."

"I guess I thought she would to. Now she's telling me to move on. I just don't know what to do Luke."

Nathan buried his head in his hands. He didn't know what to do now. Haley clearly didn't want him. She wanted friends. Nathan hated to think of just being friends. Sure, they had been friends for two months straight, but at least he always had hope. Now, it was crushed.

"I guess you move on."

"I can't do that."

"Well, then I guess you'll be alone forever."

"Maybe I should go after her."

"Then you're just setting yourself up for rejection. It's over man, I'm sorry."

"Me too. It just sucks. She's not happy and she knows it."

"I know, but she knows she has responsibilities now."

"Why was it so easy for her to leave me, but she won't even think about leaving Matt?"

"She was young and immature then, now she's grown up and she has a family."

"It's just hopeless."

"Nathan, you need to let it go."

"I can't Lucas! I can't do that! I wasn't able to let go after ten years of not seeing her!"

"Nathan…"

"She didn't even try to make me say! She asked me to, but she never really tried! Maybe she doesn't even care about me."

"She does care about you. If she wasn't so scared I think she would be with you."

"Scared of what?"

"Being so wrapped up in someone, being so consumed in her past."

"I don't know. I've tried, and she hasn't tried at all. I know I should move on, but I can't, I really just can't."

"We'll get through this."

"I really hope so. I'm going to go home I need to be alone right now."

"Okay, are you sure you want to be alone right now?"

"Yeah, it's what I need."

Nathan walked out the door and headed home. He took the long way. He hadn't even noticed that he left his stuff at Luke's. He needed to clear his head. This was not how he pictured everything happening.

Nathan walked into his apartment. He walked through the front hallway to the kitchen. The only thing there that hadn't expired yet was water and some canned goods. He grabbed a bottle of the refrigerator and headed into the front room.

"Haley? What are you doing here?" Haley was sitting on the couch. Her eyes were really red.

"I'm in love with you. I want to be with you. Always and forever." She ran over to Nathan and kissed him hard on the mouth.

A/N: I hope you all really liked this chapter.


	16. As Lovers Go

After a few moments Haley pulled away and looked at Nathan deep in his eyes

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews. No, it was not a dream. I'm so glad that you all liked that chapter. I'm so excited to be writing Nathan and Haley now. Of course, there will still be drama. Please continue to review, I love to hear your opinions.

I do not own OTH or its characters. The song in this chapter is "As Lovers Go" by Dashboard Confessional.

I'll be true, I'll be useful...  
I'll be cavalier...i'll be yours my dear.  
And I'll belong to you...  
If you'll just let me through.  
This is easy as lovers go,  
So don't complicate it by hesitating.  
And this is wonderful as loving goes,  
This is tailor-made, whats the sense in waiting?  
And I said "I've gotta be honest  
I've been waiting for you all my life."  
For so long I thought I was asylum bound,  
But just seeing you makes me think twice.  
And being with you here makes me sane,  
I fear I'll go crazy if you leave my side.  
You've got wits... you've got looks,  
You've got passion but are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?

After a few moments Haley pulled away and looked at Nathan deep in his eyes. She gave him a slight smile and went in for another kiss. She pulled away and wrapped herself in Nathan's arms.

Nathan didn't know what to say. It was the first time that he could ever remember being at a loss of words. He didn't want to ruin the moment. It just didn't seem real to him. His lips lightly kissed the top of Haley's head. He never wanted to let her go.

"Wha…How…Why?" was all Nathan could manage to get out. His words were stuttered and slowed.

"I realized I wanted to be with you. I wasn't thinking about anyone else anymore, I wasn't afraid."

"But the letter?"

"I thought it would make things easier, but after I put it under your door I realized there is no where else I would rather be than in your arms. I couldn't even imagine not seeing you everyday."

"I'm so glad you're here Hales."

"Me too. I really want to be with you Nathan. You're the man that I love."

"I love you so much."

Haley kissed Nathan again.

"I've missed kissing you," Nathan smiled at her.

"You have no idea," Haley smiled.

She stood on her tip toes and kissed him again. Then Haley took his hand and led him over to the couch. They sat down. Haley lay across the couch and placed her head in Nathan's lap. Nathan stroked her hair and traced the edges of her face. He couldn't believe what was happening to him at this moment in time. He missed her hair and her face and kissing her. Mostly, he missed having her be his.

Haley had butterflies in her stomach. It was weird; she hadn't felt like this in such a long time. She could barely breathe. All she wanted to do was stay close to Nathan. She wanted to feel his bigger body against her small frame in an embrace.

"Tell me everything," Nathan whispered.

"You told me you were leaving and I was crushed. I checked into a hotel and cried for hours. It was all too familiar. I wasn't ready to lose you again, but I was afraid everyone would hate me if I went after you. So I wrote you that letter. Then about five minutes after I put it under your door I bought a ticket to Tree Hill. I went to your house and I found the key in the mailbox. I walked in and I paced for what felt like hours. Then I planned out this big long speech. But then you came home and all I could muster was that I wanted to be with you."

"I really just can't believe you're here. I thought it was over."

"You told me earlier it would never be over."

"I know, I really just can't believe you came."

"I love you too much to just let you slip away."

Nathan continued to stroke her hair.

"How long are you staying?" Nathan asked.

"I'm staying with you forever. No backing down this time."

"Okay, but you do have to go back to New York don't you?"

"Yeah, I just wish I didn't have to. I really don't want to go back."

"Did you tell Matt?"

"No," Haley whispered.

"Haley!" Nathan exclaimed.

"I knew if I told him it would have took up too much time and I wanted to beat you here."

"So he has no idea where you are?"

"No, not really. He thinks I'm at a hotel somewhere."

"When are you going to tell him?"

"As soon as I go back to New York."

"When are you going back?"

"Probably tomorrow or the next day. I wish I could just stay here with you forever."

"I know I wish you could too. After we figure this out it will be you and me everyday."

"You, me, and Natalie."

"It's going to be so perfect. It's how I always dreamed it."

"I can't wait. Natalie loves you so much."

"How are you going to tell her?"

"Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out how you tell a three year old something like this. It's not like "Oh hey by the way we're getting a divorce,"" Haley said.

"We'll figure something out. I'm not too worried about it."

"Can we just stop talking about all this serious stuff? I just want to be with you," Haley smiled at him.

"Yeah, of course we can. What would you like to do?"

Just then Haley's stomach rumbled.

"I guess food it is," Nathan said.

"I haven't eaten all day. I was so nervous I think I might have thrown up. Plus, you have no food here."

"Well sorry I've just been so busy making you fall in love with me in New York," Nathan joked. He started to tickle her.

"Oh, you are so going to pay!"

Haley began chasing Nathan around the house. They were laughing hysterically.

"Okay! I surrender! Can we go get some food please?" Nathan asked breathless. He was laughing extremely hard.

"Sure, where shall we go?"

"You pick."

"Karen's Café…please?"

"Are you sure you want everyone to know?"

"I'm not going to hide it from anyone."

"Okay, let's go."

Nathan and Haley left the house hand in hand. She talked and laughed the whole way there. It just felt so right for the two of them to be back together.

The two walked into Karen's Café with big smiles on their faces. Karen looked up from the counter to see who had walked in. When she saw Haley she began crying and ran up to her.

"Haley…you look so incredible. How are you? What are you doing here?" Karen's mouth was moving a mile a minute.

"I'm incredible. You look pretty wonderful yourself." Karen had aged a little, but she still looked radiant. Her hair was short and her eyes were glistening from old age and wisdom.

"Thank you Haley. What are you doing in Tree Hill?"

Haley looked up at Nathan and smiled at him brightly.

"Nathan and I are back together."

Karen started to cry with joy. She hugged Haley tightly.

"I knew it would happen someday. Didn't I tell you Nathan?"

"Yes, you did tell me."

"People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end," Karen smiled. "I thought you were married and you had a baby."

"I don't really want to talk about that right now Karen. I'm just really glad to be back here."

"I'm so glad you're back. God, I just can't believe it's you. What do you two want to eat? Anything, it's on me."

"I would love some mac' and cheese."

"Nothing has changed has it Haley?" Karen asked smiling.

"Not a thing."

"I would like a burger and fries please."

"Okay, are you two eating here?"

Haley just looked at Nathan. Honestly, she had no idea what was going on. She was just going to do whatever Nathan wanted her to.

"I think we're just going to go back to my place Karen, but thanks so much for the food."

"No problem, I'm just so glad you two are together. Just give me five minutes; the food will be right out."

"Thanks Karen," Haley smiled.

Karen went into the back room to put the orders in. She broke down and started crying. She couldn't believe how mature Haley looked. She was in utter shock that the two of them were back together. She always thought the day would come, but as soon as she heard Haley was married she began to doubt herself. Now Haley was standing there in the flesh and she could barely get any words out. It was true that you could envision a moment a million times in your head but when it really happened you never pictured it that way. When the food was done Karen took it out to the newly reunited couple. The both had huge smiles covering their faces and were sitting in a booth. Their hands were intertwined, and Nathan was gently stroking Haley's thumb.

"Here you kids go. Enjoy your night."

"Thanks Karen. I'll stop by in the morning for breakfast. Nathan has no food whatsoever in his house."

Haley hugged Karen for a few moments. Karen pulled away and cupped Haley's face in her hands.

"Now, don't go taking off again."

"I'm not planning on it."

Nathan took to the food. He put his arm around Haley's waist and began to walk back to his house. His life couldn't possibly be more perfect. It felt like they were back in high school enjoying each moment of their lives.

They arrived back at the house and began to eat the food. The two of them could barely take their eyes off of each other. They would occasionally glance up and notice each other looking at them. It was pretty much the honeymoon stage of all first loves.

"I have missed Karen's food so much."

"I've missed you so much," Nathan replied back.

"See I don't think I missed you at all. Actually I kind of forgot your name. What was it again?"

"My name is hottest man know to earth and I'm impossible not to miss."

"Okay, hottest man known to earth, what shall we do the rest of the night?"

"Well we could start by doing this," Nathan leaned into kiss Haley. They moved over to the couch where things began to get steamier.

Haley pulled away. "Nathan I don't want anything to get too serious; at least until I tell Matt."

Nathan looked disappointed and then smiled. "I understand. I can't help it though; you're so incredibly beautiful Hales."

Haley turned really red. She blushed whenever she received compliments. It made Nathan smile; he loved it when she blushed. It showed how humble she was.

"Can I change please? Wearing work clothes from yesterday isn't as great as it seems," Haley told Nathan.

"Yeah, just go up to my room. Take whatever you want."

"Okay, I'll be right down."

"I'll just clean up then."

Haley walked up to Nathan's bedroom. It was painted blue. There was the state championship trophy on display as well as basketball pictures from high school. Haley glanced around; there were tons of pictures of Nathan with friends. She went to look through his drawers to find something to wear and saw a picture that caught her eye. It was a picture of Nathan and Haley at their wedding reception. She picked up the picture and traced the outline of the bodies. Next to that picture she noticed a picture of her and Nathan on their wedding day. She smiled at the picture. She had had the same exact picture stowed away in her drawer at home and she looked at it frequently. Haley opened the drawer to find something to wear. She grabbed one of Nathan's t-shirts and a pair of his running shorts. She then moved to the closet to find a hoodie. She grabbed the Duke hoodie and was about to turn to leave. However, she saw a glimpse of a magazine that caught her eye. It was on the top shelf of the closet. She grabbed it. It was COSMOgirl!. It was Haley's first and only magazine cover. She remembered that she had been asked to do the photo shoot and interview right after her first single came out. It was her only big hit. She opened the magazine and flipped to the page that the interview was on. She hadn't even owned this magazine herself. She began reading it.

_CG: How does it feel to have your first magazine cover?_

_HJS: It's surreal. Growing up I would like plan interviews inside my head, practice award speeches, and sing into my hairbrush. You never really think it's going to happen though._

_CG: So we hear you're a small town girl, how does it feel to be on a nationwide tour?_

_HJS: It's an incredible experience. I never expected this to happen. As a little girl I was always singing, but I never imagined having an opportunity as great as this one._

_CG: You're first single, how are the fans responding?_

_HJS: They seem to really enjoy it. I have received such a great response. I think it's partly because it's a song that anybody can relate to._

_CG: It's a song about true love coming to an end correct?_

_HJS: I wouldn't say true love ending, rather the relationship ending._

_CG: Since you write your own songs, is there anybody special you're referring to in this song?_

_HJS: Yeah, it is about the person I care most about it this world. I can't be with him right now, even though it's the thing I want most in the world._

_CG: Is it a challenge to be on tour considering you are missing out on your last year of high school?_

_HJS: Yeah, it's been a challenge. I have always said this tour was a blessing, yet a curse in disguise. I'm missing so much back at home. It really makes one's heart ache not to be able to see their best friends everyday, and to not have someone get you through life's little ups and downs. _

_CG: Are you saying you regret the tour?_

_HJS: No! Not at all. This tour is incredible and it's getting my feet off the ground and into the entertainment industry. Like all great things in life it has its setbacks. However, it is still amazing. _

_CG: So everyone knows, you are working with the incredibly talented and attractive Chris Keller. Are you at all romantically linked?_

_HJS: There has been some speculation as to that, but no that is not true. Chris and I are just friends; great friends. I could never date the man, he's too conceited. Just kidding. He's a great guy. It's just that my heart belongs to somebody else._

_CG: So you are dating someone?_

_HJS: Not exactly. It's complicated. All I will say is that I wish this person the best and that I will never forget him. My heart will always be his and I will always care for him._

_CG: Wow! So it's really over? That's horrible._

_HJS: I don't think it'll ever be officially over. However, I would say it's a tragic love story. It's one of those movies you see and it makes your heart break. The worst part is I'm living it. I suppose that is my fault though._

_CG: You have been to take the blame for your actions, just as you did now. Why do you choose to do that in a world where most people like to play the victim? You seem like a perfect person._

_HJS: I am in no way perfect and I only take the blame when it is my fault. My actions lead to consequences that I need to accept and take responsibility for. If you learn to blame yourself instead of others you become a stronger person. Like when I didn't show up for a show because I had a rough personal day, I took responsibility for it. I know it was selfish and I know it was wrong. I'm not going to sit here and make up excuses. I'm seventeen, I make mistakes, and I know that._

_CG: What do you hope for in the future?_

_HJS: As for my career I would love to develop another record and do some international tour dates. Most importantly, I would love for my music to just touch one single person out there. I want someone to feel not so alone. As for my personal life, I just want to be happy. I really want all my friends to lead happy lives. Success is nothing without happiness._

_CG: Would you say you're a happy person?_

_HJS: I would say I'm generally a happy person. Although currently I'm not happy to my fullest potential. My life is missing something. I know what that is. I think life is a constant search for happiness. Some things make us happier than other things, and when we find those things that make us happy we need to hold on to them. _

_CG: Most celebrities will not give out their personal information, but you seem to be an open book. Why is that?_

_HJS: I think other people can learn from my mistakes. I don't feel like I have anything to hide from anybody. I know people want their privacy and everything, but I think it's important for young girls especially to have lots of other people's lives to look at. That way they learn all their options. I'm married. I guess that's been hidden for a long time. My PR will probably kill me for this, but I don't care. My husband deserves the right to have people know. I'm not going to hide it anymore. I'm not embarrassed. Marriage is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and if it ruins my career it ruins my career._

_CG: Well, that's a lot of information to process. Why did you decide to tell that to us today?_

_HJS: Lately I've realized that the world's opinion of me is minor in comparison to what the people I love's opinion of me. If I could I would go on top of the tallest building and scream I'm married. I'm proud of that fact. My husband is the greatest man to ever walk this earth. How I ever ended up with someone like that I have no idea._

_CG: Why did you decide to get married so young?_

_HJS: I was in love, and I'm still in love. Isn't that what we all look for in life?_

_CG: Do you have any advice for girls out there?_

_HJS: Don't give your personal information to magazines. No, honestly as cliché as it may be, follow your heart. Do what you want and what will make you happy in the end. Don't let any thing you really love slip through your fingers for something else. Chances are the thing that you love will stick with you forever; the other thing will fade away._

_CG: Thanks for your time!_

_HJS: Absolutely. Thank you so much for the opportunity._

Haley closed the magazine as a tear slid down her cheek. She remembered how her whole management flipped the day the article came out. She really didn't care. She planned to leave the tour soon anyway. She thought it was more important to publicly show Nathan how she felt, than to give a lame interview and keep it under wraps.

Nathan walked in and saw her reading the article and crying. He walked up behind her quietly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I loved every word in that interview," he whispered into her ear.

"I can't believe you actually have this."

"It's not the only thing I have."

Haley looked up at him confused. He pulled a large box out from his closet and sat it on his bed. He sat down and Haley followed. He opened the box. Inside were clippings from local articles telling of Haley's success. There were taped recordings of interviews on television and her songs on the radio. There were about ten copies of her first CD. There was a guitar pick that she threw out into the audience after a show. Haley had no idea he had even been to a show.

"You came to see me?"

"I came to about six shows. I made sure you didn't see me though. I wanted to see you. You looked great and everything just flowed."

"You should have came and saw me."

"You needed to do your own thing. I understood, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was. Then I understood that's where you belonged."

"I belonged with you."

"Shh…let's not argue about that."

"I can't believe you have all of this stuff. I only have one copy of my CD and that's it."

"I was so incredibly proud of you."

"At least someone was," Haley sighed.

"Hey, c'mon let's not ruin this."

"Okay, I'm going to go change. I love you more than you could ever know Nathan."

Haley left the room. She went into the bathroom. She put the clothes on and walked back into Nathan's bedroom.

When she walked in Nathan had a huge smirk on his face.

"What?" Haley asked.

"I just love the fact that you're wearing my clothes. It's definitely a turn on."

Haley blushed yet again. She crawled next to Nathan in bed.

"I'll be right back, I promise," Nathan said to her.

Nathan walked out of the room to go and change himself. He snuck away into one of the guest rooms to call Lucas.

"Hey man, are you doing better?" Lucas asked.

"Life is perfect."

"Nathan, having a one night stand will not help anything. You'll just be hung over in the morning."

"No, Haley's here."

"Haley's at your house? When did she get there?"

"She was just sitting here when I got home. We're back together."

"Nathan, are you on drugs?"

"No, she flew here. She told me she wanted to be with me. She's leaving Matt."

"This is really surprising, incredible, but really surprising."

"Yeah, I know. I'm so glad she's here though."

"I'm so glad for you. How's everything going to work out though with Natalie and stuff?"

"We're going to work that out later."

"I just hope it all works out."

"I'll make it work out. I'm not going to let her slip away again."

"Well I'm here if you two need anything."

"Okay, well I got to go. I just wanted to let you know."

"Bye. Good luck."

Nathan hung up the phone and walked back into his room. He climbed in bed next to Haley and laid down. She placed her small head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. The two of them just fit perfectly together.

"I could stay like this forever," Haley said.

"Me too. Don't ever leave Hales."

"I won't Nathan. This is going to work out."

"I don't have a doubt in my mind. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Nathan stroked Haley's hair. Haley stayed snuggled into Nathan and smiled every time she could smell his cologne. The two of them fell asleep wrapped up in each other. It was the end of the first day of their life back together.


	17. Nothing Lasts Forever

Haley woke up the next morning

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews, and please please please continue to review. They keep me writing.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song in this chapter is "Nothing Lasts Forever," by Maroon 5.

It is so easy to see  
Dysfunction between you and me  
We must free up these tired souls  
Before the sadness kills us both  
I tried and tried to let you know  
I love you but I'm letting go  
It may not last but I don't know  
Just don't know  
If you don't know, Then you can't care  
And you show up, But you're not there  
But I'm waiting, And you want to  
Still afraid that I will desert you  
Everyday  
With every worthless word we get more far away  
The distance between us makes it so hard to stay  
But nothing lasts forever, but be honest babe  
It hurts but it may be the only way

Haley woke up the next morning. Her eyes fluttered open. A smile crept across her face when she realized she was sleeping on Nathan. She felt his thumb gently stroking her arm. She moved her head and looked up at him.

"Good morning beautiful," Nathan smiled at her.

"How long have you been up?" Haley asked groggily.

"About an hour or so."

"You could have woken me up."

"I like watching you sleep."

"Can we just stay like this all day?"

"I wish we could, but I have to go to the office for about an hour to check on everything. I have to get back to work tomorrow. Besides, I think there's something you need to do."

"Don't remind me. I'm scared Nate."

"It's all going to be okay," he kissed her forehead gently.

"That's sweet, but it's also coming from the man who doesn't have to go tell their spouse that they slept at someone else's house last night and now their in love."

"You know, you kind of have the whole dirty mistress thing going on."

"I do not," Haley protested.

"You're married to a rich guy. You slept over another hot guy's house without telling your husband. Sounds like a dirty mistress to me."

"Okay fine. I'm a dirty mistress."

"Thank you."

"Can't I just like send a text or something? I don't want to make him upset."

"Haley he's going to be upset. I'm not going to lie to you. Just get it over with."

Haley picked up her phone on the side of the bed. It had been put on silent. She looked and she saw that she had forty three missed calls. They were a combination of Brooke, Matt, and her office. Mostly, they were from Matt.

"He called me like a billion times."

"Considering the hotel probably said you're not there and the fact that you did skip town is a good reason for why he called."

"You know it really sucks that he's a good guy. I wish he was an ass."

"I wish he wasn't my lawyer."

"Oh, but I took care of that my friend."

"Really? Just when did you do that?"

"Before I boarded the plane. I made some calls. I knew you would need a new lawyer, so I set it all up. His name is Bill Hastings. His office is right outside of Tree Hill."

"You couldn't tell Matt, but you could get me a lawyer?"

"I knew it would be important to you."

"You are too incredible."

Haley blushed.

"Look Haley, I got to get ready." Nathan kissed Haley on the lips and grabbed some clothes.

"I'll call you tonight okay?"

"Call me whenever. I love you. It's all going to be okay."

Haley walked over to Nathan and kissed him.

"I don't want to leave."

"You'll be back before you know it babe. The faster you get it done, the faster you can come down here and move in."

"Move in?" Haley asked.

"Well what did you expect would happen?"

"I don't know. I just thought Natalie and I would get our own place down here."

"Oh, I understand if you want to do that," Nathan said, obviously hurt.

"No, I want to live with you. I just didn't want to intrude on your life or anything."

"Haley, you are my life now."

"And you're mine," Haley said wrapping her arms around his waist. She kissed him one more time. Then she pulled away and grabbed her clothes that were lying on the floor. She hugged Nathan one more time.

"I'm going to miss you," Nathan said.

"I'll be back before you know it."

Haley went into the downstairs bathroom. She showered and changed and headed out the door. Before she left she wrote a short note to Nathan.

_Hey you. I'm going to miss you a whole lot when I'm gone. Last night was amazing. I'm so glad I made this decision. Anyway, I ordered some muffins and had them sent to your office. I hope you like them. See you when I get back. I love you to the moon and back. _

_Always and Forever –Haley_

Haley stopped by Karen's Café. To her surprise Karen was not working. It was two young girls. They reminded Haley of herself when she was a teenager. She grabbed a bagel and went to the airport. On the plane she was extremely nervous. She kept playing with her hair and fidgeting with nail polish. She loved the night she had had last night. They didn't do anything fantastic, but just being together was all that Haley needed to be happy. She just couldn't imagine how she was going to tell Matt.

When Haley arrived in New York she went straight home. She figured she had at least a few hours before Matt got home from work. She ran a million speeches through her head, but no words seemed right. It wasn't something you could plan; telling a man who cares about you and who you care about yourself that he just isn't enough.

Haley picked up the phone to call Brooke.

"Oh my gosh! Where have you been?" Brooke asked. Haley could hear the tone of relief in her voice.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Tutor mom, what's wrong?"

"I went to see Nathan in Tree Hill."

"Didn't he just leave?"

"I needed to tell him I was in love with him and that I wanted to be with him."

"You what?" Brooke screamed into the phone.

"We're back together."

"I'm at a loss of words. Did you tell Matt?"

"I'm telling him today."

"What are you going to say?"

"I honestly have no idea."

"Are you okay with all of this?"

"Yeah, it's what I want."

"When did you come to this conclusion and why on earth did you not tell me?"

"Sunday morning, the day after I found out Nathan was leaving. I jumped on a plane. I just went on impulse. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Was Nathan happy?"

"He was really happy. We're both really happy."

"Oh! This is so exciting. Although, not going to lie, I feel bad for Matt."

"I know. Brooke I'm going to feel so horrible. God, I am just such a horrible person."

"No, you're just a girl in love."

"Thanks for being so supportive."

"You know I've been on team Naley since day one."

"Can you do me a huge favor?"

"Anything."

"Pick up Natalie. I don't want her to be around when I tell him."

"Yeah, I'll keep her overnight. Good luck Hales. I want more details, but unfortunately I have to get back to work. Love you and don't ever scare me like that again."

"I promise. Love you too Brookie."

Haley hung up the phone. She plopped on the couch. A million thoughts were racing through her head.

Matt walked in the door hours later. He had a late night at work. Well, that and he went around the entire city looking for Haley. He walked into the house and ran over to Haley and held her tight.

"I was so worried about you. Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay."

"I'm fine."

"I was so worried about you. I called the hotel after you didn't call and you weren't there and I guess I just panicked."

"I really needed to clear my head. I'm so sorry I didn't call."

"It's okay. I trust you. I just was so worried." These words almost made Haley sick. She had no idea how the man could trust her. She just ran off to Tree Hill with another guy and she never even called. She had no idea how she was going to do this tonight.

"Thanks for being so concerned," Haley smiled.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Why would you think that?" Haley asked nervously.

"Because you just said you needed to clear your head."

"Oh yeah, I guess I forgot."

"Haley are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, sorry I'm just really out of it I guess."

"I have a surprise for you."

"Oh that's great," Haley tried to sound excited. "What is it?"

"I made reservations for me and you at your favorite restaurant. I heard Brooke was taking Natalie for the day, so I was hoping you and I could have a great evening together."

"Thanks babe. Just let me go change. Be down in a minute."

"Are you sure you're okay? You're acting really weird."

"Yeah I am totally fine."

Before Matt could say anything else Haley ran up the stairs to change. She didn't know when to tell Matt. She felt horrible. She actually felt like she was on the verge of throwing up. How was she just going to be like "oh by the way I'm leaving you?" It was impossible. Yet, she knew she had to do it. She grabbed a purple dress. She threw it on and then did her hair. She took a deep breathe and walked down the stairs.

"You look stunning," Matt smiled. He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks," Haley said quietly.

He grabbed her hand and they walked out the door together. They jumped in the car and headed to Haley's favorite place. When they arrived they sat in a cozy booth. A million thoughts were racing through Haley's head.

"So how was your day?" Haley asked.

"Not too great. I spent most of it worrying about you. The other half was with a really unappreciative client."

"That's no fun."

"How was your day babe?"

"Exhausting," Haley said honestly.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have made you come out to dinner."

"No, it's fine. It was a nice idea."

They sat it silence for a few moments.

"Look, I have to tell you something," they both said it unison. Then they laughed.

"You can go first," Matt said.

"No, I think I should wait."

"Okay, so you know how I've been crazy busy for like the past year?"

"Yeah."

"Well today when I was wondering where you were I realized I don't see nearly enough of you and our daughter."

"Oh," Haley said quietly.

"So I decided to take a year off of work."

"A year?!" Haley asked.

"Don't panic. Look we have more money than we could ever need and I figure we can go on trips and stuff. I know you've always wanted to go back packing across Europe, so I figured we can do that now."

"Wow, this is so spontaneous."

"Does it make you happy? You don't seem happy."

"I'm really happy. Shocked, a whole lot of shocked, but happy."

"Good. Look, I know I haven't been around a lot, but I'm going to make up for that now."

Haley smiled at him and grabbed his hand in hers. She had no idea what to do.

"Well this is really great."

"Now what did you have to tell me honey?"

"Nothing," Haley lied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, let's just finish dinner and talk about next year."

Haley couldn't tell him now. He was so excited about taking the year off. She felt like the worst person on the planet. Here was a great guy putting his career on hold for her, and she was about to rip his heart out. She thought back to leaving Nathan. She figured it was easier then because she was young and she had a decent motive. Haley just listened to Matt babble on about all the things they could do as a family and how happy Natalie would be. It made Haley physically ill.

By the time Matt and Haley had reached their home Matt had made enough plans to last them the rest of their lives. Matt went straight upstairs to shower and change and told Haley to meet him in the bedroom. Haley called Nathan from the Matt's work den.

"Hey you," Nathan said.

"Hi," Haley said quietly.

"You have no idea how much I miss you right now."

"I miss you too."

"Thanks for the muffins this morning."

"No problem. How was your first day back?"

"There was a ton of paperwork, and I mean a ton. Everything was handled well when I was gone though, so tomorrow should be a normal day."

"I'm really glad to hear it."

"How did things go with Matt?"

"I was afraid you would ask that."

"That bad, huh?"

"I kind of didn't tell him yet."

"You what?" Nathan screamed into the phone.

"He just told me he wanted to take a year off to spend with me and Natalie and I felt bad."

"Are you planning on staying with him?" Nathan asked calmly.

"No, of course not. I want to be with you. I'm just scared to tell him. Plus he's being too nice."

"So when exactly are you planning on telling him?"

"As soon as I gain enough courage. I mean what do I even say Nathan?"

"I wish I had the answers but I don't."

"Nathan I don't know what to do. This is all so hard. It's so much."

"Hales if you don't want to be with me, then don't."

"Nathan I want to be with you, but you have to understand that it's hard to break up a family."

"I know. I'm sorry I'm being pushy. I just want you here. I want you back home with me."

"Believe me. I want to be there too."

"I'll be waiting whenever you are ready."

"I think I'm going to do it tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think I can handle it."

"Good luck, call me at any time if you need to."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

Haley hung up the phone. She cried for a few moments and then wiped her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was about to do next. If you asked her four months ago if she would be doing this, she would have told you that you were crazy; then she probably would have punched you in the face for thinking such a thought. She walked up stairs. Matt was lying in bed waiting for her. He smiled when he saw her face. He patted the bed as if it were a sign for her to lie down next to him. She crawled in. Then she looked him in the eyes.

"What is it Haley?"

"You know how I had something to talk to you about earlier?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm ready to talk about it now."

"I'm all ears babe," Matt sat up and looked her in the eyes.

Haley sat Indian style on the bed and looked at him.

"I wasn't in New York this weekend, I went away."

"Where did you go?"

"Tree Hill."

"Is that all you needed to tell me? That you visited your friends?"

"No, I didn't visit them. I stayed with Nathan."

"Okay? So you visited Nathan? Did you two get into a fight or something?"

"No. You know how there is that person that after just three months of dating them you know that you'll be with them for like ever?"

"Yeah, that's the way I felt about you."

"Matt, I'm so sorry."

"Haley, what's going on?"

"Nathan is the person I want to be with forever."

"What? Haley what are you talking about? Please tell me you're joking," Matt was on the verge of tears. And he never cried.

"I went down there to tell Nathan I was in love with him. We spent the day together."

"Haley you just made a mistake! We can get past this!"

"No, I don't think so. Matt, I'm so sorry, but ever since Nathan came back I've realized what I've been missing out on. I don't want to miss that anymore."

"So this is it we're just over?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to fix this Haley! I love you, doesn't that mean anything?"

"I love you too."

"You love me, yet you're leaving me?"

"I love you Matt, but I don't love you the same way that I love him."

"What about Natalie? What about our family? Did you bother to think about anybody but yourself?"

"We'll share custody of her Matt. I'm not happy living like this Matt. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that I thought you were the most amazing woman on the planet and it turns out you're just a selfish whore."

"How dare you say something like that? Maybe if you were around more this wouldn't have happened!"

"And maybe if I didn't trust you to be such a faithful woman this wouldn't have happened. We all make mistakes."

"I don't think this marriage was a mistake. I just think that we're far from where we started."

"I think you've turned into a totally different woman since he's came back! He ruined us Haley!"

"Don't put the blame on him! He never asked me to leave you! He always told me to stay with you!"

"Well maybe if you would have spent more time with me and less time listening to good old Nathan's advice we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Matt, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry."

"Keep saying sorry Haley, it's not going to change anything."

"I really am sorry."

"All I ever did was love you Haley! I gave you my whole life."

"Sometimes love just isn't enough. Nothing lasts forever."

"Haley get the hell out of this house and don't come back. I'll have my lawyers handle this. Go live your selfish life with your ex-husband."

"What about Natalie?"

"Just go! I can't do this right now. You're killing me Haley, but I guess that's what you do best; rip guys hearts out."

"Bye Matt."

Haley walked out of the room and placed her wedding ring on the dresser. She grabbed her coat and walked out the door.

She picked up the phone and dialed a number all too familiar.

"Hey," Brooke chimed in the phone.

"I need a place to crash. I just ended it with Matt, and I don't think this is the last of it."

NEXT: More Naley! This isn't the end of the fight. What's going to happen with Natalie?


	18. All At Once

Haley woke up the next morning

Thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot! Please continue to review. On a side note I am so glad that Nathan and Haley made up yesterday. I think I smiled through all of their scenes.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song is "All at Once," by The Fray.

There are certain people you just keep coming back to  
She is right in front of you  
You begin to wonder could you find a better one  
Compared to her now she's in question  
And all at once the crowd begins to sing  
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same  
Maybe you want her, maybe you need her  
Maybe you started to compare to someone not there  
Looking for the right one you line up the world to find  
Where no questions cross your mind  
But she won't keep on waiting for you without a doubt  
Much longer for you to sort it out  
And all at once the crowd begins to sing  
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

Haley arrived at Brooke's house with tears pouring out of her eyes. Brooke immediately pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back, which made Haley cry even harder. Brooke guided her broken friend into the house and sat down on the couch. Haley put her head in Brooke's shoulder and continued to cry.

"It's all going to be okay. This is what you wanted right?" Brooke said trying to soothe her friend.

"Yeah, but you should have saw his face Brooke. God, I just feel so bad."

"I know sweetie, but you have to do what's going to make you feel happy."

"Then why do I feel so crappy?"

"Because you're a good person and you care about him."

"I didn't want to hurt him though Brooke, I never wanted to hurt him."

"I know, and I'm sure he'll realize that someday. Right now he was just caught off guard, he had no idea."

"I know I just feel incredibly horrible."

"This is what you wanted though, right?"

"Yeah, I just never thought about the telling Matt part. It's not as easy as it seems, you know, breaking up with someone."

"Did you talk to Nathan yet?"

"I just talked to him right before I told Matt."

"Do you want to call him?"

"Not right now, I'm a mess."

"What do you think Matt's going to do?"

"I don't know. I'll probably call him in a day or two and figure everything out."

"What's going to happen with Natalie?"

"That's what I'm worried about. I mean we both are going to be so far away from each other, and I don't want to leave my baby for too long."

"I understand."

"I just hope he doesn't try to get sole custody. I wouldn't know what to do without her."

"Do you really think he would do that?"

"He loves her more than anything in the world and he's super mad at me."

"Still, I don't think he would do something like that. He's a good guy."

"I know, that's why this is so hard. Right before we went to dinner and he told me he was going to take a year off so that we could spend more time together."

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah I know. Wow, I am just such an awful person."

"Haley I'm going to give you some tough love right now. Stop whining, you wanted to be with Nathan, and now you have it. It may all seem really tragic right now, but just look at the big picture. You can spend the rest of your life with Nathan and you know that nobody makes you happier than he does. So all of this may seem like the worst thing ever, and it probably is, but it'll all be done with soon."

"I guess you're right. I can't believe I'm going to be with Nathan."

"I know it's like some fairy tale or something."

"An extremely complicated fairy tale with an immense amount of history," Haley said sarcastically.

"Those are the best kinds," Brooke said cheerily.

"I hope your right. It's just it seems too perfect for me to end up with him again."

"Fairy tales always seem too perfect. It's just what happens. And of course you and Nathan will have a happy ending now."

Just then Natalie came running in. She was dressed in her pajamas.

"Baby, you should be in bed. It's late. You have to go to school tomorrow."

"I know but I heard your voice and I wanted to come say hi. Please don't be mad momma."

"I'm not mad that was very sweet of you to do."

"I hearded you cry, are you sad?"

"I'm a little sad."

"Why?"

Haley just looked at the girl's big green eyes. She never knew how to explain stuff like this. Stuff like this made Haley feel like she was a bad mother. When she was little her mom always knew exactly what to say and when to say it. Most days Haley had no idea what to say. She loved her daughter but dealing with a three year old was all so new to her. She didn't want to say something that would upset her or confuse her.

"I did something that was really hard for me to do."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted to do it."

"Oh," Natalie said. The girl looked up at her mom. She was obviously confused.

"Listen honey, sometimes doing the thing that you want to do is hard to do, but you still have to do it. You have to follow your heart." Haley was trying to explain in the best way that she could.

"Your mom is right. You have to do what you want and make all your dreams come true," Brooke said.

"Oh, I got it. Well, don't cry momma because now all your biggest dreams will come true," Natalie smiled. She held out her arms as to show how big. Then she hugged Haley and crawled into her lap. Haley stroked her fine hair until the little girl fell asleep.

"Brooke you should really be a mom or something."

"Haley, I would never be nearly as great of a mom as you."

"I just don't know what to say about this stuff to her."

"She'll be happy no matter what you say. The girl idolizes you."

"See, I just hope Matt doesn't try to take her from me."

The next morning Nathan woke up. It was the earliest he had woken up in months. It was his first day back at the office and he was extremely excited. He checked his cell phone and was slightly disappointed not to see Haley's name. He figured she slept at Brooke's if she did tell Matt, and if she didn't she was working on getting the strength to do it.

Nathan's phone rang. He looked and saw it was Haley. He answered.

"Hey you," Nathan said into the phone.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" It was Matt. He had called from the house phone.

"I take it Hales told you."

"I thought we were friends! I trusted you."

"I'm sorry man."

"Don't 'man' me. You did a pretty shitty thing."

"I didn't tell Haley to come back to me, she did it all on her own. She's a big girl. She knows what she wants."

"You've been flirting with her from the second you saw her. I thought, gee, it's great they can be such great friends. Come to find out they're a hell of a lot more than friends."

"You knew Haley and I had history."

"Yeah, a history where she left your sorry ass."

"Well, even better. You knew we had a history without closure."

"So this is all my fault now?"

"No, I'm not saying that."

"You know Haley was the only person that I ever really, truly cared about. You didn't even care though! You pulled her right from me."

"Like I said I didn't tell her to do it."

"You didn't stop her either!" Matt was screaming into the phone. Nathan, contrastingly, was extremely calm. He didn't want to add more heat to the fire.

"I'm not going to turn someone I'm in love with away."

"So you admit it! You're in love with her."

"Well I was married to her at one point."

"At one point! What makes you think she won't leave you again?"

"Because it's different now."

"I thought the same thing when I married her, I knew she had a past, but I thought she changed! Look where that got me! Alone!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I really am. I really don't know what to say."

"Don't be sorry. Haley's just going to leave you again. It's becoming a nice little pattern for her."

"Stop talking about her like that!"

"It's true. She's a whore. She's selfish and disrespectful. Hell, I'm glad she's leaving me."

"Good, then get over and stop complaining to me."

"And I'm not working for you anymore! Good luck finding your daughter now!"

"I already have another lawyer on the case, no worries there Matt."

"And don't you dare think that my daughter is going to call you daddy."

"I wasn't expecting her to. I just want to be a part of her life."

"You won't be seeing her at all!"

"Don't you dare take her away from Haley." Nathan was pissed. He thought he wouldn't let this guy get to him, but once he started talking about Haley and Natalie he just couldn't control it. He loved those two girls more than anything, and he wasn't going to let an angry man talk badly about them.

"I didn't say Haley, I said you. Learn to comprehend all-star."

"Look I didn't do anything."

"Whatever, you're just as pathetic as Haley. You two have a great life together." Matt hung up the phone.

In New York, Matt threw himself against the wall and buried his head in his hands. He had drank a lot in the past few hours, more than he did since his college days. A sober Matt would have never done something like that, but he wasn't even close to sober. Besides, a drunken mind speaks a sober heart.

Nathan walked to work today. He needed to clear his head. He couldn't believe the guy called him. Really, it wasn't Nathan's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. The heart wants what it wants. Nathan walked into the office. He saw three patients that were regular visitors. One had ear problems, the other juvenile diabetes, and the other had a problem with her spine. Though the three saw specialists Nathan wanted them to come frequently just to make sure everything was okay with the rest of their health. He missed being here. He missed helping out.

"Dr. Scott I haven't seen you here in quite some time," Mrs. Lorder said. She was the mother of the boy with the ear problem.

"Yeah, I had some personal business to take care of in New York City."

"Must have been serious to have been gone so long. Is everything all right?" the woman asked concerned.

"Everything's going to be all right."

"Oh, I'm glad to hear it. Zach missed you so much."

"Oh really?" Nathan asked looking at the boy. When Zach had first come to Nathan's office he hated him. Zach hated any doctor. He was scared of being really sick or of something hurting. Nathan tried to comfort him but nothing seemed to work. Then Nathan found out that Zach loved soccer, so Nathan bought a bunch of soccer stress balls. Every time Zach came in and behaved, he got a soccer ball. After three years of going to Nathan, Zach began to look up to him. He even told his mom that he wanted to be a doctor.

"Yeah! The other lady didn't give me a soccer ball and she didn't play the airplane game when checking my ear," Zach pouted.

"Well, I think it's just because she didn't know. She's a really great doctor."

"Are you going to be away anymore? I need a heads up so I can avoid coming here then," Zach said with a big smile.

"No, I'm not planning on taking anymore trips. Now let's check out this ear of yours."

Haley woke up in New York with a major headache. She called into work, yet again. At this rate Haley thought she would be out of a job or something. Her heart just wasn't in it these days. She wanted to get her life in order; otherwise she was in no condition to help anybody else. She didn't want to make stupid decisions made on an impulse or by what she was feeling that day. She walked into the room that Natalie was staying at.

"Morning Nat! It's time to get up for school!"

"Okay, I picked out my clothes last night." Natalie had plenty of clothes at Brooke's house. It was common for her to stay there. Whether it was because Haley was staying too or because Natalie wanted to be cool like Aunt Brookie, Natalie was there at least once a week.

"Oh, let momma see," Haley said enthusiastically.

"Well, I gots these jeans and this red shirt with a puppy on it. I pickeded this shirt because it's Joey's favorite color."

"Oh, why must you be starting so young?" Haley looked at the girl with a smile on her face.

"Well, I like dogs."

"I know you do. I like dogs too."

"Daddy doesn't like dogs."

"I know."

"Is daddy coming over this morning? I miss him."

"No I don't think daddy's coming over this morning."

"Is he working again? He works a lot. I think he works more than Santa, and that's a lot of working."

"Yeah, he is working." Technically, this wasn't a lie. Matt was supposed to be working today. Haley had no idea whether he went in or not. Haley figured he did since he never gave up a day at the office.

"Are you going to take me to school momma?"

"Yes I am."

"Good! I can show you my painting of a bunny."

"Okay, get dressed and meet me downstairs."

Haley walked down stairs. She found a note from Brooke sitting next to some fresh bagels.

_Hey tutor mom, I figured you could use a good breakfast after last night. Tell Natalie I love her. Don't cry today or I'll hit you. You did the right thing, even though it may be hard. I love you bestest friend. Call me if you need anything. –Tigger_

Haley smiled at the note and placed in on the table. She was so glad to have a friend like Brooke.

Later that afternoon Haley decided to call Nathan. She knew she would have to call him eventually. Truth be told, she was dying to talk to him. She was dying to be near him. She just wished it was all over so that she could go stay with him in Tree Hill.

"Hey, I miss you," Nathan said into the phone.

"I miss you too. How's work going for you?"

"I'm so happy to be back. I'm on lunch right now."

"I'm glad it's going good."

"One of my patients made me a card that said they missed me."

"Aw, that's so cute. You are a very missable man."

"Missable? Is that a word grammar girl?"

"I invented it, and therefore it's a word."

"So you told Matt," Nathan tried to slip in casually.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"He kind of called me this morning and yelled…a lot."

"Oh gosh, Nathan, I'm so sorry."

"No it's fine. How did your talk with him go?"

"A lot of how he shouldn't have trusted me. Then he tried to tell me that I just made a mistake and that he would take me back."

"Hardest thing you've ever done?"

"Nope, not even close."

"What was the hardest thing you've ever done then?"

"Leaving you for the first time. Oh, and not being able to kiss you for two months."

"I know, my lips are undeniable."

"I feel really bad Nathan. Like I know it was the right thing, but he was so incredibly upset."

"Well, you did catch him way off guard. He just needs to adjust to the idea. It sucks have your heart ripped out."

"Oh, thanks that makes me feel so much better."

"At least you get to be with me now," Nathan said trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, damn you. If you weren't making me fall in love with you all the time this wouldn't be happening."

"I'm pretty sure you're the one that made me fall in love with you."

"I really hope this all goes okay. I don't want things to be bad."

"Haley, I know I keep saying this, but everything will work out. It may take some time but it will work out."

"I know, I'm just having a hard time believing it right now."

"Well, think of other stuff. Think of like three years from now when we have Natalie and two little kids of our own running around. Brooke would call them Naley babies. Then we'll have a dog that is really furry and loves to play fetch. We'll have a miniature basketball hoop in the backyard and a big playroom in the basement. You'll sing all the time on our grand piano and I'll sit on our couch underneath our wedding picture and listen to you. Every night we'll all sit together and eat and our kids will tell us really funny stories. Then at night we'll go to bed together in our big bedroom and work on making more little babies to add to the family. It'll be a great life. Just think of that."

"You thought of all that?"

"Everyday. I'm planning the rest of my life with you Hales."

"God, you're making me cry. You really did make me feel better."

"I'm glad. Look I have to get back to work. Stop worrying okay?"

"Yeah, I will. I love you Nathan."

"I love you too."

Haley hung up the phone with a big smile on her face. She realized her life with Nathan was everything she dreamed of since she was a little girl.

Haley's phone rang. It was Matt. She took a deep breathe and answered the phone.

"Hi," Haley said.

"Did you realize that you've made a mistake yet?"

"This isn't a mistake Matt."

"Whatever you say."

"I heard you called Nathan today."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I was drinking a little."

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to him. Look Matt, he had nothing to do with this. It's all on me."

"Whatever. I'm just trying to figure out when you'll leave him and move on to the next guy."

"It's not like that. You and I have been stuck in the same place since Natalie was born. We haven't moved forward. Nathan and I have a future together."

"We used to have a future together."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Just think of it like this, now you can find a girl who has the same goals as you. You can find a girl that loves her work and loves the big city and wants a small family. You can find a girl that's everything that I'm not."

"I just thought we would be together forever."

"I know, but things change."

"I don't want Nathan to be Natalie's dad."

"He's not going to be."

"I want joint custody. I don't want you to have her all the time."

"I understand. She's both of our daughter. Please, just tell me you're not going to try to keep her from me."

"I don't want to, but I'm going to talk to my lawyer."

"Matt, please don't."

"Like I said I don't want to, but we will be living so far away from each other."

"I'll pick her up and drop her off."

"Okay, we'll figure it out later."

"Thank you."

"Look, I already filed for divorce so it should be set soon. I want to be done with you."

"That's fine."

"Well, I guess this is it."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Matt hung up the phone.

Haley was glad that Matt was being better about it. Really, Haley wasn't the woman for Matt. They didn't want any of the same things. Haley was ready to go to court and end things. She was ready to start the life that Nathan had planned.


	19. Pictures of You

A month had passed

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Hope you like this chapter. Lots of Naley.

I do not own OTH or its characters. The song in this chapter is "Pictures of You" by the Last Goodnight.

Confess to me Every secret moment  
Every stolen promise you've believed  
Confess to me  
All that lies between us  
All that lies between you and me  
We are the boxers in the ring  
We are the bells that never sing  
There is a title we cant win no matter how hard we must swing  
Pictures of you Pictures of me  
Hung up on your wall for the world to see  
Pictures of you Pictures of me  
Remind us all of what we could have been

A month had passed. Haley had stayed at Brooke's house. She was planning on moving to Nathan's after the divorce was finalized. The divorce was now coming to a close. The only problem was the custody battle. Matt was being really good about it. However, the problem was the fact that the two lived eight hours away from each other. Haley wanted to trade off by week but they realized that would be too hard with Natalie attending school. The only alternative was for one parent to have her during school and the other to have her during summer, but that was too hard. Haley did not want to continue living in New York. If she did Nathan would have to stay there too, and she didn't want him to drop his life for her, even though he was willing to. Matt was not willing to leave his job in the city. He wouldn't get nearly as much business in a small town in North Carolina and he didn't want to leave his dutiful clients behind. Haley and Matt left the fate of Natalie in the hands of a judge.

Haley sat on Brooke's couch. She quit her job as a social worker, and became a counselor at Natalie's school. The hours were easier to work and the job was not nearly as demanding. Honestly, she never needed to work in the first place. When her wealthy aunt had passed away five years ago she left a very large sum of money to Haley. Since Haley rarely immersed herself in luxuries and put her money away in savings, that money had only grown larger. It was nice to be able to spend more time with Natalie. Today was Friday and she had off. She only worked four days a week and this was something she loved. It gave her an extra day to travel to Tree Hill if she chose to do so.

These days traveling to Tree Hill had become harder. In fact she hadn't been down there in three weeks. She didn't want to keep leaving Nathan with high hopes every time she went down there. He wanted nothing more than for her to move in, but it just wasn't working. Technically, Haley could move to Tree Hill, but it would mean not seeing Natalie frequently. She knew Matt wouldn't have a problem if she took her for a weekend or so, but he didn't want her to pull her out of school for a long period of time. Sure, it was just pre-school, but it was important.

Haley picked up the phone and dialed the number that she had grown accustomed to. She knew that Brooke would be home with Natalie in about a half an hour and she wanted to tell Nathan the news before the two came home. Brooke knew what was about to happen and she supported her decision. Matt knew too, but Haley and he still had to work that out.

"Hey beautiful," Nathan said.

"Hey handsome," Haley chimed back.

"I miss you so much," Nathan confessed.

"I know I miss you too. How was work?"

"It was good. Glad this week is over though. How about you? How's the new job going?"

"I love it a lot."

"That's good."

"So I have a surprise for you."

"Oh really?" Nathan asked intrigued.

"Yes, it's really good."

"Tell me."

"Brace yourself."

"I am fully braced."

"I am moving back to Tree Hill. I'm moving in with you. I want to come next week!"

"Haley that's so great!"

"I know I can't wait to move back in with you."

"Well, whenever you are ready, the house is ready too."

"Good, I just need to finish figuring it out with Matt."

"Oh yeah, what about Natalie? Is she coming to stay with us? Because I got her a room ready."

"You got her a room ready? Nathan that's so cute."

"Well, I had a little help from Riley. It's purple and blue, because those are her two favorite colors. It's pretty much all Pottery Barn Kids."

"Thanks Nathan, she'll love it. God, I love you."

"Is she moving here?"

"Well, I haven't exactly figured that out yet. Matt said he doesn't want to just pull her out of school, which I understand. She's going to come with me when I move down at first. I guess we'll just figure it out from there."

"I'm glad you two are working this out. No crazy custody battle."

"Yeah, I think it's good too."

"So what made you decide to move without everything all settled?"

"I just thought it was time. I miss you too much staying up here."

"I know I haven't seen you in forever."

"I just can't take the time apart anymore. It's killing me. Moving is the right thing to do."

"I can't wait for you to see the house."

"Did you redecorate the whole thing?"

"You'll see. You'll like it."

"Oh good, what about all my stuff though?"

"Like?"

"Furniture, clothes, Natalie's toys; you know that kind of stuff."

"Donate the furniture, we have a ton here. Bring your clothes; I guess I could give you like one drawer. As for Natalie's toys, well, I bought her a giant toy box."

"Two drawers and I'm in."

"How about two dressers and a walk in closet?" Nathan offered.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I told you Riley helped me. She said you would probably have a lot of clothes."

"I love you and Riley is like my new best friend."

"Okay, but I got to go. Just call me and give me a date and I'll be waiting. I love you."

"Love you too."

Haley hung up the phone and kicked her legs repeatedly in the air. She was so giddy. It was like a little school girl that just found out a boy liked her.

Brooke walked in with Natalie. Natalie ran up to Haley and gave her a big hug.

"Mommy!"

"Hey chick-a-dee! How was school?"

"Good! I painted a picture of a cat."

"What else did you do?" Brooke asked.

"I learned all the months of the year!"

"Wow, my daughter is a genius. Can you tell me them?"

"January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December," Natalie chimed in a sing song voice.

"Good job!" Brooke said. She clapped her hands.

"Thanks Aunt Brookie! I'm going upstairs to hang my picture on the wall."

"Okay sweetie. Daddy's picking you up tonight."

"Okay momma, I'll be ready."

Since Natalie had been staying with Haley she had grown closer to her. Matt rarely saw her because he was always working insane hours. It wasn't like he didn't want to take time off to see her; it was just that he couldn't take time off right now. If he found out that he had Natalie during the school year, he would have to take time off then.

"Did you tell him?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, he was so happy," Haley smiled.

"I'm glad. This is so exciting. You get to live in a big new house."

"He redecorated."

"Nathan Scott? Decorating?"

"He says Riley helped, I think she did most of it."

"Most likely."

"I'm going to miss you Brooke. I can't believe this is our last real week together. We're going to be eight hours away from each other."

"Well if you weren't choosing your studs over your buds then we wouldn't be having this problem."

"Brooke! You know I don't want to leave you. Actually, I have no idea what I'm going to do without you. It's been me and you for so long. Please promise you'll visit me a lot."

"I'll be visiting you more than you think."

"And I'll come visit you too. At least once a month."

"I think you'll be visiting me more than that."

"You know I love you, but I can't come here like every day."

"I know. I have a confession."

"What is that?"

"I'm moving to Tree Hill!"

"Oh my God! What? How?"

"I quit my job at Marc Jacobs. I had Peyton pick out a house for me. I own it."

"I'm so excited! This is like high school all over again. Add some spouses and kids. Don't you love your job though?"

"Yeah, but not as much as I love my bestest friend. Plus, I'm starting my own company. Imagine owning a Brooke Davis original."

"Oh, you're clothing company will so kick the Marc Jacob's lines ass."

"Now let's not go that far, but it will kick some serious ass. It will defiantly kick Nicole Miller's ass."

Brooke and Haley continued talking about plans that would be carried out in Tree Hill. They talked about high school memories, the idea of their kids going to THH, and watching Nathan and Lucas play games on the river court.

One week later Haley pulled up to Nathan's house with Natalie in the back seat. The moving truck came the day before and Nathan unpacked everything. He wanted the house to be completely ready before Haley stepped into it.

Haley walked up to the front door holding Natalie's small hand. She knocked. It would be the last time she would knock on the door. Soon she would have a key, and this would be her own home.

Nathan opened the door and hugged Haley. He gave her a kiss. It was short and sweet. Nathan then bent down and gave Natalie a hug.

"I missed you Natalie."

"I missed you too Nathan."

Natalie had grown accustomed to calling Nathan, Nathan. Now that Haley and Nathan were together they found that Mr. Scott was a bit too formal.

"So do you two want to see the house?" Nathan asked.

"I would love to," Haley said.

Haley and Natalie walked into the house. It looked like it was directly out of a catalog or an interior decorator was hired. It was simply gorgeous. Haley was nearly moved to tears when she saw the pictures that Nathan had hung upon the wall. There were lots of Natalie as a baby. The walls were plagued with pictures that were taken recently of the five friends during visits to New York, and old ones from high school. Nathan and Haley's wedding photo hung over the fireplace. There were pictures of Brooke and Haley, and Nathan and Lucas. The room looked like it had become like that over the years, not as if it were done overnight.

"Nathan the house is beautiful."

"Thank you, I wanted it be special."

They walked into the next room. It was a sitting room with a large grand piano. Nathan knew how much Haley enjoyed playing and wanted to make sure she had the opportunity in her new home. The kitchen was typical, but Nathan made sure he bought all new pots and pans, because he knew that Haley loved cooking. They went through the whole downstairs. Haley was in love with the house.

They moved to the upstairs. The first stop was Natalie's room. On the wall was a picture of Natalie, Nathan, and Haley at the park. Under the picture was the words "Our Family." There toys and stuffed animals everywhere. There was a walk in closet with tons of little girl's clothes. The bed had a canopy over it.

"Is this mine?" Natalie asked with big eyes. She was extremely happy. She ran in and started jumping on the bed.

"Do you like it?" Nathan asked.

She went up and hugged him.

"It's better than my room at home!" Natalie chimed.

"I'm really glad you like it," Nathan said.

"We're going to have so much fun living here mom!"

Just then Haley had a flashback of telling Natalie about the divorce and the move.

"_Hey sweetie, can I talk to you?" Haley said walking into the girl's room._

"_Yeah, come sit on my bed momma."_

"_You know how daddy and I haven't been living together?"_

"_Yeah, it's because you had a fight and you're mad. You already told me this momma."_

"_I know, but I don't think daddy and I will ever be living together again."_

"_Why?" Natalie had pain, sadness, and confusion in her eyes. It was all too much for a little girl to understand._

"_Daddy and Mommy don't think we can fix this fight. It's a really big one."_

"_You told me that I can fix any fight if I forgive and forget."_

"_I know honey. Sometimes you can, but this time it's a really, really big problem. If mommy and daddy move back in with each other we'll probably fight all the time and then we'll hate each other."_

"_And hate isn't good," the little girl chimed._

"_Exactly. I'm going to be moving in with Nathan."_

"_Do you love him momma?"_

"_I love him very much."_

"_So you don't love daddy anymore?"_

"_I love daddy in a different way."_

"_No more family?"_

"_We'll still be a family baby." Haley pulled Natalie onto her lap and stroked her hair. "Now you'll just have two families. You'll have you and daddy in New York City. Plus, you get to have me and Nathan in Tree Hill."_

"_That's cool I guess. I'll still get to see daddy right?"_

"_Yeah, of course. You'll have two houses. You can stay with daddy sometimes. Then I'll have a new house with Nathan that you'll stay in sometimes. You'll have a really cool new room too."_

"_Okay, it'll be cool to have two families. I love you momma."_

"_I love you too baby girl."_

_Haley was glad the conversation went over well. Haley wanted her and Matt to tell Natalie together but Matt said that if she wanted this, then she could tell their daughter. _

"The three of us are going to have a lot of fun!" Nathan said tickling Natalie.

"Can I hang out in my new room for a little bit momma?" Natalie asked Haley.

"Sure you can! Have a lot of fun!"

Nathan and Haley walked into the hallway hand in hand. They closed Natalie's door. Haley pushed Haley up against the wall and kissed her hard.

"I've been dying to do that," Nathan said.

"You can do that an awful lot now that we're living together Mr. Scott."

"That's good because I don't think I can live any longer without kissing you everyday."

"I know I'm just that kid," Haley winked.

"I think I'm rubbing off on you. Want to go see our room?" Nathan asked.

"Of course I do."

Nathan and Haley walked into the room. There was a large bed in the middle. The room was painted a light blue. There were pictures of Nathan and Haley together all over the room. On the dresser was a bottle of sand from their wedding day. Then Haley saw something that caught her off guard. There was the 'Wedding Wall' hanging above the bed. There was an obvious crack down the middle of it, but Nathan did the best he could to fix it. It looked just like their bedroom in their old apartment, except it was classier and looked a little more expensive.

It broke Haley's heart that there were pictures and memories everywhere. It made her realize what life could have been if they had just stayed together in the first place. Every picture, every face, gave Haley a pinch of regret.

"I love it Nathan, it's perfect." Haley stood on her tip-toes and kissed Nathan then melted into his chest.

"I wanted our new room to be perfect."

"The whole house is perfect. You're too nice to me."

"I'm sure you can find a way to repay me later," Nathan said raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I think I can too." Haley kissed Nathan on the neck.

"We are a perfect family now, it's what I've always wanted," Nathan smiled.

"Me too."

"So how about I cook on the grill and Nat play on the swing set I bought her?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. I wish we could stay like this forever."

The three of them enjoyed a good dinner together. There was a lot of smiling and Nathan and Haley could not stop holding hands.

Haley was cleaning up in the kitchen and Nathan was helping her. One would put a dish away and smile at the other, and the other would do the same thing. They both had just made each other's dreams come true; a loving family.

Nathan and Haley moved to the couch to watch a movie. Natalie was upstairs putting on her pajamas to go to bed. Haley was cuddled up into Nathan.

"Do you really have to work tomorrow?" Haley begged.

"Yes, but I'll be home soon. I'll be home by four. Plus you can finally spend time with Luke's wife."

"She really did a nice job with the house."

"Yeah, she's a nice lady."

"As nice as me?"

"Nobody is as nice or as sexy as you," Nathan said.

"Good."

"When do you have to go back to New York?"

"Nathan, I just moved here."

"I know, but you have to bring Natalie back and you have one final court date. I just don't want us to get too settled before everything else is settled."

"Nathan, I'm here for the long haul. You know that right?"

"Yeah, it's just sometimes it just seems too good to be true."

"Oh, it's very true. I'm not going anywhere and hopefully Natalie will be able to stay here too."

"And soon we'll have my daughter here too."

"She can finally have a sister. Speaking of which, I'm just going to see what movie she wants to watch okay?"

"Yeah."

Just then Haley's phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello…what happened…is he okay…oh God…NO…NO…thank you."

Haley fell to the floor in tears. Nathan jumped off the couch and stood up.

"Hales what's wrong?"

"There was an accident…Matt…he's dead Nathan."

Nathan sat next to Haley and cried with her. Haley couldn't even think straight. She never expected this.


	20. Hear You Me

Nathan waited until Haley fell asleep

A/N: I'd been planning this out for a while. I just didn't want Haley to have to share Natalie, I wanted them to be a family. Also, I wanted to focus on Naley and not Matt and his relationship with Natalie. I hope nobody was too upset by it. Anyway, thanks for the reviews. Please continue to review.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song in this chapter is "Hear You Me," by Jimmy Eat World.

So what would you think of me now,  
so lucky, so strong, so proud?  
I never said thank you for that,  
now I'll never have a chance.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.  
And if you were with me tonight,  
I'd sing to you just one more time.  
A song for a heart so big,  
god wouldn't let it live.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.

Nathan waited until Haley fell asleep. It had been a night filled with tears. He felt so helpless. He had no idea what to do. He just gave her a shoulder to cry on, and hoped that that was enough. He picked the love of his life up and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom. He gently placed her in bed and covered her up. Then he walked over to Natalie's room. She didn't come down that night. He figured that she had been wrapped up in playing with her new toys in her new room. He peered his head in the room and saw that she was sound asleep in her bed. He walked up to her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight Natalie, I love you." He smiled and walked out of the room. Then he walked back to his own room. He quickly changed and then sat on the floor against the wall. He dropped his head into his hands. Nathan never expected this and honestly he had no idea what to expect from here on out. He stayed up deep in his thoughts. Occasionally he could here Haley crying in her sleep. It completely broke him to see her this way. Sure, he and Matt had ended on bad terms but Nathan was still grateful for the time that they did have. He couldn't imagine knowing that he would never be able to see Haley again, so he understood how she must have felt. Yes, Matt and Haley were broken up, but they still spent a significant amount of their lives together. They grew together for seven years and had developed a family. No matter what the situation was now they still had a bond.

Nathan woke up the next morning sitting on the floor. He looked up and realized that Haley was no longer in bed. He figured she went to Natalie's room. He walked to the young girl's room but realized that Natalie was alone and sound asleep in her bed. He then walked downstairs and realized that Haley was nowhere to be found. Nathan was afraid of this; that she would run off.

"Nathan it's like seven in the morning, what do you want?" Lucas asked.

"I'm sorry but have you seen Haley?"

"No, what's going on?"

"Matt got into a car accident last night, he passed away Luke," Nathan said somberly.

"Oh no, is Haley okay? How's she taking this?"

"I really don't know. She fell to the floor last night when I told her and I carried her to bed after she fell asleep. I woke up this morning and she just wasn't there."

"Where do you think she could have gone?"

"I don't know; I just hope she's okay."

"Do you think she ran again?"

"No, I just think she panicked. I have no idea where she is. I'm really worried about her; she shouldn't be out by herself in this kind of condition."

"Did you call her?"

"No, but I don't think she'd answer anyway. She would have left a note if she wanted me to know where she was."

"Look man, it's going to be okay. How's Natalie taking it?"

"We haven't told her yet, and I'm going to let Hales talk to her about it."

"She's going to be devastated."

"Yeah, I know. Seriously, I swear every time something really great happens in life something completely awful happens." Nathan had an extremely sad tone in his voice.

"It's going to be okay. Look, I'll come with Riley and pick up Natalie. You can go out and look for Hales. I'll make some calls and see if anyone has seen her. Just hang in there okay?"

"Thanks Luke."

"I'll be there in ten."

"Bye."

Nathan hung up the phone and immediately dialed Haley. Nathan heard her phone ringing inside the house. She hadn't taken it with her wherever she went. He then walked upstairs to wake up Natalie.

He gently nudged the child. She woke up and rubbed her eyes.

"Hey sweetie you have to wake up, Uncle Lucas is going to be here soon," Natalie whispered.

"Why do I have to go?" the girl asked sleepily.

"Mommy and I have some business to take care of. I promise it won't be that long. If you want you can sleep at Uncle Luke's okay?"

"Okay, where's mommy? She helps me pick out clothes in the morning."

"Mommy had to leave for a little bit. I'll help you pick out something."

"You're a guy. You don't know what's fashionable."

"Yeah, I do. Here wear this pink shirt and these yellow pants."

"Alright, but it's still not very cute," Natalie said crinkling her nose.

"I'm sorry. I tried. I'm new at this, I'll get better I promise. Meet me downstairs when you're done changing okay?"

"Yep, thanks Nathan."

Nathan walked downstairs. He heard the doorbell ring. He answered it and saw Lucas. Lucas immediately pulled him into a reassuring hug. Riley followed Lucas and hugged Nathan too.

"She's just having a hard time with this, don't worry about it Nate," Riley said.

"Yeah, I know. I just wish she would have let me know where she was going. I'm so worried about her. I'm really worried about Natalie. How do we tell her something like this?"

"You two will figure it out. You're just going have to work through this. You'll have some really bad days, but eventually it's going to get easier," Riley said rubbing Nathan's back.

"Look man, I called Brooke and Peyton and neither one of them have seen her."

"I really thought she would have gone to Brooke's. She's always there for her," Nathan said. "Where the hell could she be?"

"You'll find her."

Natalie ran downstairs and hugged Lucas.

"Hey Nat Nat! How's my little girl doing?" Lucas asked, faking a smile.

"I'm alright. I'm real sleepy."

"Well, you can come sleep at our house. If you want, I'll even play Barbies with you later," Riley said.

"Okay, bye Nathan. I'll miss you."

"Bye Natalie. I'll see you when I get home okay?"

Natalie ran up to Nathan and gave him a hug.

"It's going to be okay," Lucas said before walking out. He had Natalie in one arm and his other hand was around Riley's waist.

Nathan had no idea where to begin. He walked to the docks, swung by Karen's Café, and checked near Haley's old home. He had basically searched the entire town, but did not find her. He didn't know what to do. He walked back home and looked around again; nothing. He needed something to take his mind off of this. Nathan had never been so worried in his life. He found his basketball and decided to walk to the river court. Playing the game could get his mind off of anything, and that was just what he needed right now.

He walked up onto the river court and saw Haley sitting on the picnic table. Her head was buried in her hands and he could hear her crying. Nathan walked over and sat beside her. Putting his big arms around her, he pulled her into an embrace.

"Nathan, you should just go," Haley cried. "I need to be alone."

"Haley, I'm here for you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"No I'm not okay. I feel horrible."

"It's okay to be sad."

"We can't be together Nathan. Not anymore, not since this happened."

"Don't say that. I know this is a lot to process. We're going to get through this together."

"He died thinking I hated him Nathan! I didn't hate him. I loved him, I cared about him."

"Believe me Hales; he knows you didn't hate him."

"No, Nathan. He doesn't. You don't know anything about what he was thinking! Hell, I don't know anything about what he was thinking! I should have been there. He died broken! It's all my fault. It's all my fault."

Once again Haley was crying uncontrollably. She couldn't help it. She felt guilty. She knew she didn't cause him to die, but she knew because of her he didn't die a happy man.

"This is not your fault. Don't you think that," Nathan stroked her hair.

"I need you to go. I can't see you right now."

"Hales…"

"No, don't. Please, just go. I'll be home later. I need to be alone."

"What about Natalie?"

"I'll tell her later tonight."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you."

Nathan went home and sat on the couch. He was at a loss of words. Thoughts were swimming in his head. Haley was completely broken and feeling guilty and Nathan couldn't handle seeing her like that. He wished he could be the one feeling like that, but he knew that wasn't possible. Nathan was sad, but not like Haley.

Haley came home later in the evening. She found Nathan and Natalie sitting on the couch watching "Beauty and the Beast." On the table was a plate of food from her. Nathan had ordered food from Karen's. He knew neither him nor Haley would be in the mood to make anything. Haley had no appetite. She looked at the food and figured she could just eat it later. She walked over and sat on the couch.

"Momma, I missed you!" Natalie said.

"I missed you too baby girl." Haley held Haley in a death grip. She never wanted to let her daughter go.

"Momma, you seem sad," Natalie said with her big green eyes.

"Yeah honey, I'm sad."

"Why?" Natalie asked curiously.

"We need to have a little talk okay?"

"Sure, I'm all ears."

"You know when your goldfish went away forever because he was really sick and only God could make him get better."

"Yeah, he went to heaven with all the angels."

"Well, sweetie something really bad happened to daddy. He had to go with all the angels too," Haley said with tears falling down her face.

"You mean daddy went to heaven?"

"Yeah, Natalie I'm sorry."

"He's not coming back?" Natalie asked confused.

"No, baby he's not coming back."

Natalie broke down in tears. She curled up into Haley's arms. Nathan moved closer to them and pulled them both in.

"Do you think daddy will miss me?"

"He'll miss you so much. He's probably thinking about you right now," Nathan said with a reassuring smile.

"Who's going to help take care of me?"

"I'm going to help take care of you. Whatever you need; I'll be there. Your mom will be there too."

Natalie cried for a few more minutes then she wiped her tears

"I'm going to miss my daddy."

"I know baby we all are," Haley said crying.

"You don't have to cry no more though momma."

"Why do you mean?"

"Well, daddy's with all the angels. He's happy now. Nothing bad can happen to him and God's making him feel better."

Haley just smiled at the little girl. She was in awe of her innocence.

"I love you," Haley told Natalie.

"I love you too momma."

"Nathan, I'm going to go sit on the back porch."

"Okay, I'll be right here if you need me."

Haley stood up and walked into the backyard. When she arrived outback she completely broke down. Life was not supposed to be like this. She felt guilty, even though she wasn't in love with Matt, she still loved him.

"Is momma going to be okay?"

"Yeah, she's just a little sad right now."

"Oh, well I hope she smiles soon."

"Me too, me too."

"I have a question for you Nathan."

"Ask me anything."

"If my momma says okay, since my real daddy's gone, will you be my daddy?"

"I would love to be your daddy. Just wait to talk to your mom about it okay, wait until she's a little happier." Nathan was about to cry. He had known this little girl for about four months and could not imagine life without her. He couldn't believe that she had just asked him to be her dad. Nathan would do anything for this girl, he would do anything to make sure that she was happy.

"Promise? Because I need a daddy and I think you would be the bestest daddy."

"Yeah, I promise."

"Good."

"Listen, tomorrow we have to go back to New York and we're going to have to go to these things called a funeral and a wake. There's going to be a lot of really sad people there. They're all going to say really nice things about your dad."

"Okay. Is it okay to miss my daddy?"

"It's perfectly normal to miss your dad. I even miss your dad."

"Will I ever stop missing him?"

"Probably not. It will get a little easier everyday, but you'll still always miss your dad."

"Did you miss my momma when she was gone?"

"What? How did you know momma was gone?"

"Well, momma once told me that you two were friends. Then when we moved here there were lots and lots of pictures of you and momma. You two must have loved each other a lot."

"You're a very smart little girl."

"I know, momma taught me well."

"Yeah, I missed your mom a lot while she was gone. I thought about her everyday."

"Does that mean I'll think about daddy everyday?"

"Probably, people deal with people leaving differently. I took it really hard."

"Did you think you would ever see momma again?"

"Honestly, no, I thought she was gone for good. It made me really sad."

"Well she's back now, so you don't have to cry like she is."

"I know. I'm really glad you and your momma are here."

"I'm really glad we're here too. Daddy would want me to be happy."

Nathan pulled Natalie into a hug. The two of them finished watching the movie together. Natalie yawned.

"Let's get you to bed. We have to leave early tomorrow."

"Okay, will you carry me?"

Nathan picked up Natalie and carried her to her room. He placed her into her bed and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight, I love you."

"Love you too Nathan. Tell momma I love her too."

"I will. Sweet dreams."

Nathan walked downstairs to find Haley sitting in the kitchen eating the food from Karen's. He sat next to her. She was extremely tense and emotionally worn out.

"How you doing?" Nathan asked cautiously.

"I just talked to Matt's family. They told me all about the accident. He was driving and another car smashed into the driver's side. I wasn't there to help him Nate."

"You couldn't have saved him even if you tried. It's not your fault."

"I know, but I should have been there. I should have tried. I'm the horrible person; I'm the one that should have been in that car."

"You are not a horrible person. It's a good thing you weren't in that car. You have a beautiful daughter that needs you very much."

"How's she doing?"

"She says she doesn't want to see you sad and she loves you so much."

"I'm scared to go to this wake tomorrow."

"Why?"

"His family probably hates me. They're not going to want me there. They hate me, I just know it."

"They're not going to hate you, they're going to be happy you came. They're going to be happy that you made Matt happy for several years of his life."

"But then I crushed his world."

"Haley, I'm sure they don't hate you. I'm sure they know that you loved him, that you still love him."

"I guess. Are you coming?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm going to support you anyway I can."

"Nathan, no offense, but I might shut you out a little bit. I'm really sorry if I do but this is just really hard."

"I know and I understand. Come on let's get to sleep."

"I think I'm going to sleep in the guest room for a little bit. I can't do this right now."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I don't want you to be alone."

"I'll be fine."

Haley stood up. Nathan pulled her into a hug.

"I miss him Nathan."

"I know."

She pulled away and walked into the room. She laid on the bed and began crying again.

Nathan sat up for a little while. He didn't know what to do anymore. Tomorrow he would have to go to the wake. He would have to face the family that he took Haley away from. He would have to see his former friend laying still. Nathan really wanted to break down, but he knew he had to be strong for Haley.

Nathan stood up to go to bed. He peeked in Haley's room and saw her sleeping. He walked in a put a blanket over her. Then he kissed her forehead and walked up to his own room.

"Okay all knowing power up there. I guess I just want to say thanks for bring Haley and Natalie into my life. I really need some guidance right now though. Let Matt know that I did care about him, and I never meant to hurt him. He was really genuine and kind to me and I wasn't a great person back. Please forgive me for that. Help Haley get through this and help her to let someone in. I'm just worried about her. Help Natalie too. She's been good about his, but I know it will probably affect her future. Please just get the two girls I love most through this, because if they hurt too much I don't know if I'd be able to take it. Well, thanks for listening and thanks for everything else."


	21. Feeling A Moment

A/N: Thanks for the reviews

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. They are decreasing a bit lately, so please review. I'm starting to feel like nobody likes it anymore. Thanks to all of those who do review though, it means so much. I hope you like the chapter. Sorry for the wait.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song in this chapter is "Feeling a Moment" by Feeder.

Turning to face what you've become,  
Buried the ashes of someone  
Broken by the strain  
Trying to fill that space inside  
Am I just like you?  
All the things you do - can't help myself  
How do you feel when there's no sun?  
And how will you be when rain clouds come and pull you down again?  
How will you feel when there's no one?  
Am I just like you?  
All the things you do  
Don't ever feel that you're alone  
I'll never let you down, I'll never leave you dry  
Don't fall apart, don't let it go  
Carry the notion, carry the notion back to me, to me...

Nathan, Haley, and little Natalie arrived at the airport. Haley was still extremely upset. Nathan held Natalie in one arm and had his other hand around Haley's waist. They took a taxi to their hotel and unpacked.

"I really don't want to do this," Haley quietly spoke.

"Nobody ever wants to do something like this. We're going to get through it though okay?"

"I know, it's just really hard. You never expect someone to die at like thirty you know?"

"I know."

"It scares me Nathan. It could have been any of us. We could have been the thirty year old in that car."

"I know, I know," Nathan said pulling her into a hug. He was at a loss for words these days. He wanted to soothe her, but he didn't know how. He felt guilty and awful for not being able to fix her; to make her know that everything was going to be okay.

Haley pulled away and walked into the bathroom. She couldn't be too close to Nathan right now. She wanted to, she really did, but at the same time she needed space.

"I got to…um…change. The wake starts in two hours," Haley said meekly.

"Yeah, I'll go get Natalie ready."

Nathan went to the suitcases to find the black skirt and gray shirt that Haley packed for Natalie.

"Hey Natalie I have your clothes, you have to change okay?"

"Do I really have to wear black?" she whined.

"Yeah, it shows that you're going to miss your dad a lot."

"Oh, okay, well I guess I could wear black then. Are you wearing black too?"

"Yes, I am."

"Are lots of peoples going to be crying?"

"Yeah, probably. They just all miss your daddy."

"Are you going to cry?"

"I have to be strong for your mom."

"Is she ever going to be not sad?"

"Yeah, it's just going to take some time. Just let her know you love her and stuff."

"Okay, you got it."

Haley walked out of the bathroom in a black dress and black heels. She looked stunning, despite the sadness in her eyes.

"I love you mommy," Natalie chimed.

"I love you too Nat Nat," Haley said hugging her daughter.

"I'm going to go change," Nathan said. When he walked behind Haley he gave Natalie thumbs up. She smiled in agreement.

The wake and the funeral all seemed to blend together for Haley. It was all a bunch of people she didn't know. She cried a lot but she really didn't know why anymore. There was nothing she could do to bring him back. She didn't know if she did it out of regret for not saying good-bye, or if she truly felt like she needed him to be there for their daughter. She would miss him, which was one thing that was true. Matt's family sympathized with her. She could tell they didn't care for her though. They gave her cold, empty looks. Their hugs were meaningless. She didn't blame them for disliking her. However, it was a funeral, it was a time for everyone to come together to mourn a life. It wasn't a time to snub another person.

Nathan stood by Haley's side whenever she needed him near. Mostly, he took care of Natalie. She was full of questions and Nathan it was better that he answer them than an over emotional Haley. He noticed the looks he was getting from several people. He though maybe it was inappropriate for him to be there. But at the same time, Nathan was Matt's friend. Although they may have had a falling out there was still a friendship. They shared high school stories, went to games together, and enjoyed countless outings in New York City.

"Haley can I speak with you for a moment?" Matt's mother asked.

"Yes, of course."

"You and Natalie have been given fifty percent of all of Matt's belongings and money. I have a lawyer that can explain everything to you better."

"I really don't have to take the money. You can donate it to charity or keep it or something. It's not really my place to have it."

"You technically were not divorced. Anyway, Matt would want to know that his daughter was taken care of. Besides, even though your relationship had ended with him, he still would want to make sure you have everything that you need."

"Well, thank you Mrs. McGord. I'm so sorry about everything."

"Me too Haley."

"Are you holding up okay? Do you need anything?"

"I guess I'm the best I could be in a situation like this. It's hard, but I'm taking it day by day."

"Yeah, I understand."

"How about you Haley? How are you doing?"

"Taking it day by day I guess."

"I don't want to make things harder or anything, but Matt left a letter in the house. He was going to give it to you when the final divorce paper went through," the woman said softly. She pulled out a letter and handed it to Haley. Haley's hands were shaking.

"Thank you," Haley said teary eyed.

Mrs. McGord pulled Haley into a hug and rubbed her back.

"Well I guess this is good-bye for now. I'll call you sometime so you can see Natalie. I'm so sorry again, about everything."

Haley turned to walk away.

"Haley…"

"Yeah," she said spinning around.

"I don't blame you for any of this. I don't think you're an awful person. I know Matt worked a lot. I know because I've been in your situation before. Don't beat yourself up over this okay? And don't tell me you don't feel guilty, because I can see the look in your eye."

Haley went up to the woman and cried onto her shoulder. She rubbed her back.

"It means a lot. Bye thank you," Haley chocked out. She kissed the woman's cheek and went to get Nathan and Natalie. It was time for them to get back to the hotel room. Tomorrow they would be heading home.

Haley kept the letter in her pocket. She was going to read it when they got home. She couldn't handle too much more right now. Everything was happening so fast, and yet each hour seemed to last days.

When they arrived back home Haley immediately walked into the guest bedroom. She plopped on the bed and took out the letter.

_Dear Haley,_

_I just want you to know that I don't blame you for the divorce. I wish I could take back all of the horrible things I said about you. I need you to know that I didn't mean a single one. You are a great person and you deserve happiness. I couldn't pick a better guy than Nathan to take care of you. Hell, if I were to die tomorrow I would hand pick him as the guy for you. It pains me to admit that, but it's true. I knew that when you spoke of the guy that you were still in love with him. I guess the heart wants what it wants. I can't be angry at you for going after someone you love. It's what we all want in life; true love. I want to say I'm sorry. I should have spent more time with you and our daughter instead of working. It wasn't fair to leave the two of you alone. Haley, you deserve a family. You deserve to have all the kids that you want and you deserve to travel the world. I guess I'm just sorry for holding our family back. If I could re-do it all, I would have made more time for us. Just know that I don't for a second regret being with you. It was a great run while it lasted. You made me happy, and most importantly, upon leaving me you've helped me find myself. I love you Haley, always know that. I hope you have a happy life. No regrets, no grudges, just thanks._

_Love,_

_Matthew_

Haley couldn't help but cry as she read the letter. She read the sentence about picking Nathan if he died over and over again. It was like fate or something. It was ironic for sure. It broke her heart to know how graceful he was. He was so mature and forgiving. It was a shame that he couldn't make another girl in the world happy. Even though the letter made Haley feel a little better about the situation, it still made her sad. She felt guilty that she hadn't said any hopeful words to him like he had just given to her. Haley buried her head in her pillow and cried.

Nathan took Natalie upstairs. He pulled some pajamas out of a drawer for her and placed them on the bed.

"Go change okay?"

"Okay." Natalie ran into the bathroom and changed. She came back into her room. Nathan was sitting on her bed.

"Is momma going to be okay?"

"She'll be okay soon."

"Will you read me a story please?"

"You want me to read you a story?"

"Yeah, daddy used to read me a story every night. Some one has to take his place."

"I'll never take your daddy's place honey. You're daddy will always be your dad."

"I know that, but I just mean some one has to be my daddy. They gots to do daddy stuff you know?"

"And does that include reading you a story?"

"Yep, every night before bed. I pick one night. You pick the next."

"So who's turn to pick?"

"Mine, silly. Get with the program Nathan."

Nathan just laughed and tickled the girl. She filled with laughter.

"Go pick. Nothing too girly, promise?"

"No promises, it's my night to pick. Don't worry you'll get better at the rules."

Nathan laughed again. He loved being a father figure to her. They had been spending a lot of time together lately. He was doing what he could to keep the girl occupied while Haley was mourning.

"I gots the book!" Natalie ran over and jumped on the bed.

"Cinderella? Really?"

"Don't worry, you get to read tomorrow."

"Okay, be prepared for a really manly book."

"Whatever you say," Natalie yawned. "Now it's time to read before I fall asleep."

Natalie laid down on the bed and then Nathan laid next to her. He opened the book and began to read it. By the time Nathan was halfway through the book Natalie was sound to sleep. He stood up and kissed the girl's forehead.

"Sweet dreams," he paused, "daughter."

Nathan walked downstairs and peaked into the guest bedroom where Haley was staying.

"Hales, you okay?"

"Fine," she muttered.

"You sure? Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

"Do you want to come upstairs?"

"No, I'm good."

"Okay, well good night."

"Night."

"I love you Hales."

"Night, Nathan."

Nathan frowned and walked upstairs.

The next two weeks went by the same way. Haley secluded herself from the world. Nathan spent his days going to work. He would drop off and pick Natalie up from school. The two of them would eat dinner together and play together. Nathan would tuck Natalie in at night, and she would tell him how much she loved having him around. Gradually, Natalie and Nathan formed a bond that was unbreakable. Nathan would read stories in different voices just to make her smile. Natalie would draw pictures of doctors playing basketball for Nathan to hang in his office. They were becoming like a real father and daughter. Haley would talk to Natalie, but her heart wasn't in much of anything these days. She didn't want to hurt Natalie or Nathan so she figured it was best to just stay away. It broke Nathan's heart to see her this way. He tried to talk to her day after day, but she just wouldn't give in. Every morning she was gone and he had no idea where she went. He would find her later at night sitting in her room looking through photo albums or reading a book. Haley hadn't even spoken to Brooke or Lucas or Peyton since the tragedy. They all tried to call her and visit her, but she wouldn't let them past all the guilty and despair.

One afternoon after Nathan and Natalie had taken off for the day, Haley heard the door open. She didn't even bother to get up and see who it was.

Brooke walked into Haley's room and sat on the bed.

"Hi," Haley said quietly.

"How are you?"

"It's getting easier."

"Talk to me Hales. I miss you."

"I just feel guilty Brooke. I don't know what to do."

"Why do you feel guilty sweetie?"

"I never said good-bye. I left him right before he died. I took away his family."

"Haley, you had no idea any of this was going to happen."

"I know, I know. I just feel horrible Brooke."

"It's okay to be sad. It's a big loss, but Hales you have to let someone in. Sitting on this bed and crying all by yourself isn't going to help anyone."

"I know," Haley whispered.

"So tell me best friend how are you holding up?"

"I'm just sad. I'm hurting Brooke. This is killing me."

"Talk to me, cry on my shoulder, do whatever. I want to help you okay?"

"He wrote me a letter Brooke."

"Matt?"

"Yeah, he was going to give it to me when the divorce was finalized."

"What did it say?"

"He said that Nathan was a good guy, and that if he died he would pick Nathan to take care of me. He said I deserved to be happy and that he didn't hate me."

"See Haley, he doesn't hate you, he loves you. He cares about you happiness. He wouldn't want you to be depressed like this."

"I know, but it just makes me feel weird that he said he would pick Nathan if he died. Don't you find that weird or something?"

"Life throws us all kinds of signs and ironies that we really can't figure out. The way I look at it, is that he knew that Nathan was a great guy, and if he couldn't take care of you he wanted a good guy to do it."

"I should have told him I didn't hate him for not spending time with me. I should have told him I was sorry. I should have said so many things."

"Haley, there are so many things you could have said. Beating yourself up over this is not going to make you have said them though. Matt knows. Matt knew. He knew you didn't want to hurt him."

"But how do you know that Brooke?"

"Because if he didn't know, he wouldn't have taken the time to write you the letter."

"I miss him. I miss knowing he's here."

"It's okay to miss him. It's okay."

"It's not that I don't care about Nathan, I just miss Matt."

"Honey, Nathan knows. Nathan thinks it's fine for you to miss him. He doesn't think it's awful."

Haley cried on Brooke's shoulder and Brooke softly stroked her hair.

"Haley have you talked to Nathan at all?"

"Not really, I've just been kind of on my own."

"You need to let him in. The only way you're going to be able to get over this is to let him in."

"I'm just scared to let him in. What if he dies too?"

"Haley he is not going anywhere. It's killing him that you're not talking to him though."

"How's he doing?"

"He's like ass. He calls me everyday and asks me if you called. He's just really worried about you."

"I don't want him to worry."

"I know. I know you don't mean any of this. He knows that too. It's just he cares about you so much Haley. You got to let the boy in. Let him know what you're going through."

"How's Natalie doing?"

"Nathan's making sure your little girl is doing fine. She's getting through it. She misses her mom though."

"Is it wrong to think that I'm meant to be with Nathan even though my husband died? Am I an awful person for thinking that?"

"No, not at all. Even Matt would say that."

Haley leaned on Brooke and cried some more.

"Thanks Brookie. I love you."

"I love you too tutor mom. Take care okay? And call me."

Haley shook her head. Brooke walked out of the house with a slight smile on her face.

Later that night, Nathan was lying in bed. He heard footsteps outside of his door. He hoped it was Haley, but he knew those hopes were a little too high. He turned his head to see who it was; it was Natalie.

"What are you doing up so late?" Nathan asked.

"Momma won't stop crying."

"Did you go down there?"

"Yeah, I wanted to say goodnight. I stood outside her door, but I heard her crying. I didn't want to make her more sad."

"You couldn't make her more sad."

"I don't want momma to cry anymore."

"Me either."

"Plus, it's really scary because it's lightening and I always sleep with momma when it's thundering. She tells me stories about her and Uncle Lucas during storms."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but she's crying. And I'm scared."

"How about you stay up here with me?"

Natalie rubbed her eyes and shook her head. She crawled into bed next to Nathan.

"Tell me a story."

"Well, one time it was thundering really, really hard and the power went out. Your mommy was at work, and I wanted to go get her to make sure she was okay. I knew she didn't have a car to drive home in. So I drove down to the café. I opened the door and told her that the car was outside. We walked to go into the car, but the car wouldn't work. So we were trapped in the café. So mommy and I played a game. We built his crazy obstacle course out of chairs and pans and tables. Then we made hot chocolate and put it at the end. So we had to do this crazy thing in the dark and drink the hot chocolate. If I won, your mom had to wear my jersey the next time she worked. If she won I had to spend a whole day doing what she wanted. Well, we both fell about ten times. However, I won. Mostly, because your mom is a klutz. Partly, because I'm a great athlete. So you're mom was chasing me around and I ran outside into the rain. I though she wouldn't chase me there but she did. Then I kissed her in the rain, and we walked home together."

Nathan looked over and saw that Natalie was sleeping. She had a huge smile on her face. He wondered if Haley ever told that story to her.

Nathan tip-toed downstairs. He walked into Haley's room and crawled in bed next to her. He put his arm around her. He missed being near her.

"Do you remember the obstacle course?" Haley whispered.

"I didn't know you were awake."

"I'm too scared to sleep."

"You could have come upstairs. I just told Natalie the obstacle course story."

"Thank you," Haley said meekly.

"For what?"

"Taking care of her."

"I love her Haley, and I love you, so it's not a problem."

"I'm sorry Nathan."

"For what?"

"Pushing you away."

"It's okay, I understand."

"I just don't really know what to make of all of this. It was so sudden you know?"

"I know."

"I just felt guilty."

"It's not your fault."

"I know that now."

"I guess I was scared to let you in too. To have someone see me so vulnerable."

"I hate people seeing me like that too. I'm here for you though, no matter what state you're in."

"I know. Thanks."

"You okay? Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm doing a lot better with you by my side."

Nathan kissed Haley's forehead. Haley moved her mouth up to his and kissed it softly.

"I love you Hales," Nathan whispered.

"I know, I love you too."

"Goodnight," Nathan said.

"Can we just talk for a bit?"

"Of course." Nathan pulled Haley in closer and they laid there sharing stories.


	22. Stolen

Nathan woke up that morning

And from the ballroom floor we are in celebration  
One good stretch before our hibernation  
Our dreams assured and we all, will sleep well  
You have stolen  
You have stolen my heart  
I watch you spin around in your highest heels  
You are the best one, of the best ones  
We all look like we feel  
You have stolen my  
You have stolen my heart

Nathan woke up that morning. He put his hand where he thought Haley would be but his arm fell to the mattress.

"Shit," he whispered out loud. He looked around the room; no sign of Haley. Nathan stood up and walked into the kitchen. It was seven in the morning and Haley was nowhere to be seen. He saw a note on the table he picked it up and smiled.

_Good Morning Nathan,_

_Thanks for last night; it was exactly what I needed. I'm out for a run. I'll be back later today. Have a good day at work. Natalie is upstairs and very upset that "Nathan totally ditched" her. Thanks for taking care of her. Love you always and forever._

_--Hales_

Nathan set the note back down and ran upstairs to Natalie's room. He now knew where Haley had disappeared to every morning. She went out for a run. Nathan never imagined Haley the type to run in order to clear her head. However, he didn't care how she let her anger go; as long as she did it.

"Good morning Natalie!" Nathan said picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Nathan! Ahhh! Put me down!" Natalie said in between laughter.

Nathan tossed her gently onto her bed and she burst out into giggles.

"So I hear you're upset that I totally ditched you last night."

"Yeah, one minutes you're telling me a story about you and momma. The next minute I wake up and there's all these thunder sounds and I'm all by myself."

"Well I am really sorry, but your momma needed a friend," Nathan said with a smile.

"It's okay, I forgive you. Momma needs to stop crying."

"Well you'll be glad to know that she stopped crying last night."

"Really? I'm so happy!" Natalie beamed with a smile.

"Good I'm glad! Now you got to get to school so finish getting ready, I've got breakfast downstairs."

"I bet I'll be down there in faster than a minute."

"I bet you will too, I'll time you."

Nathan went downstairs with a smile on his face. He pulled out a half of a bagel and a banana for himself. Then he grabbed some cereal and a banana for Natalie.

Natalie came downstairs about three minutes later, but Nathan told her that she did it in under a minute. The two ate breakfast together and then headed out the door. It had become routine for them. Nathan put Natalie into her booster seat and then he jumped in the front seat. He then dropped her off at pre-school and headed to the office himself.

Haley was running along the boardwalk. Out of nowhere a man started running next to her in unison.

"You know you could get killed out here all by yourself," the voice said.

Haley looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Hey Lucas." Haley stopped running, as did Lucas.

"Since when do you run?" Lucas asked between laughter.

"Well, in New York I really didn't get much exercise so I decided to start running. I would go to the park, and it turned out that I really liked it. But I did stop for a while, but every since this Matt thing came back up, I decided to do it again," Haley blurted out in practically one breath.

"So you run?" Lucas asked.

"Did I not just say that?" Haley said laughing. "Yeah, I run. I've been running a lot. Well, a lot in terms of minutes. However, Nathan would think the amount I run is pathetic. It probably is really pathetic."

"Well how much do you run exactly?"

"Since I started running in Tree Hill, about a half a mile. It's sad, I know."

"No offense Hales, but that is pretty sad."

"I like it though; it helps me clear my head. There's nobody else around it's just me."

"Whatever helps you get through this. So how are you doing anyway?" Lucas asked getting back to his original point.

"I'm doing a lot better actually."

"That's good. Nate's been pretty worried about you."

"I know I just needed some time."

"Have you talked to him at all?"

"Last night we stayed up all night and talked. It was what I needed."

"That's good. He needed you to talk to him. He's been hounded him like crazy."

"I know. Every two seconds he checks in on me. It's sweet, kind of over-bearing, but sweet."

"I hear you."

"So what's new with you Lucas? I haven't talked to you in like forever."

"Well, the Ravens won twice in a row. Oh, and did I mention that I'm going to be a dad?"

Lucas said with a big smile on his face.

Haley's eyes got super big and then she let out a huge squeal. Then she jumped onto Lucas and gave him a hug. "Oh my gosh! That's so great Luke! I am so excited for the two of you."

"I know I can't believe it either. You know, I thought I wanted to wait until we were both thirty. Then, Riley tells me she's pregnant, and I've never been so happy in my life."

"I can't believe you're going to be a dad! Nathan's going to be an uncle, I'm going to be an aunt!"

"It's just so incredible," Lucas said beaming with a smile.

"So when is she due?"

"November 16th. It seems so far away, but then again it seems so soon."

"I know how you feel, I mean when I found out about Natalie I thought it would be forever, but time flew."

"I still can't believe I'm going to be a dad."

"Nervous?" Haley asked.

"Honestly, I'm really scared. I know I shouldn't be, but I've never been so nervous in my entire life."

"It's perfectly normal to be scared. Matt was a nervous wreck."

"Don't tell Nathan though, I want to tell him myself."

"I promise I won't tell him. Although, I can barely contain myself. I love babies."

"Are you planning on having babies with Nathan?"

"I haven't really thought about it much. Like, I don't know how things are working exactly you know. I don't even know if he ever wants to marry me."

"Oh, I am pretty positive that Nathan would love to marry you. Trust me."

"I don't want to rush into anything though. We did that before and it didn't turn out so well. I just want to take things slow."

"Slow isn't exactly you and Nathan."

"I know, but I think we should try to take things slow."

"How does he feel about all this?"

"We haven't exactly talked about the progression of our relationship lately."

"Oh," Lucas spoke.

"Yeah, like we live together. We haven't like gone out together. We haven't even had sex yet."

"I bet he loves that."

"He honestly hasn't even said anything about it. I guess we're both just taking it by day."

"I think he's just glad to have you back in his life."

Haley and Lucas continued to walk and talk. They spoke of the new baby, Nathan, and plenty more.

Haley got home with a big smile on her face. She plopped on the couch and decided to watch a movie. In the middle of the movie she heard the doorbell ring.

She opened the door and came face to face with a flower delivery man.

"Hello," Haley said.

"Are you Miss James?" the man asked.

"Yes I am," Haley said slightly confused.

"Well, these are for you. Guy must really like you." The man smiled and walked away.

Haley smiled as she smelt the flowers. She looked at the card and an even bigger smile crept over her face.

_Hales,_

_We're going on a date tonight. I'll pick you up at seven. Wear something nice, everything else is taken care of. I love you._

_--Nathan_

Haley was pretty much dancing around the house. She had huge butterflies in her stomach. She felt like she could vomit at any second. She had no idea why she was so nervous.

Seven rolled around and Haley was standing in the mirror making sure she looked absolutely perfect. She had a deep purple halter dress on that came just about her knee. She heard the doorbell ring and her heart almost stopped. She swiped one last bit of lip gloss on and then headed to the door.

"Hi," Haley whispered.

Nathan had a blue button down on that brought out his eyes and a pair of khakis.

"You look incredible," Nathan said.

"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself. Hell, I'm not going to even bother lying. You look hott."

Nathan left out a laugh. "Are you ready?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. So what are we doing exactly?"

"Oh, just you wait."

"You know I hate surprises," Haley said with a pout.

"Just come on."

Nathan and Haley walked outside. Haley was about to get into the car.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nathan asked.

"Getting in the car," Haley said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, we're walking."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

Haley ran up next to Nathan and started walking next to him. He put his hand in hers and they began to walk hand in hand.

"You're lucky I wore the right shoes for this," Haley said referring to her silver flip-flops.

"Keep your pants on. So reach into my back pocket."

Haley reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small white card.

"What's this?"

"Just think our first date all over again. Except we're taking away all the awkwardness, but we're keeping you're complaining self," he said with a smile.

A smile crept over her face. "I guess I'll stop complaining now."

"Read the card."

"Tell the other person three things you missed about them while they were gone."

"I'll go first," Nathan said.

"Okay, I'm all ears."

"I missed the way you ramble when you get really nervous. Second, I really missed talking to you, about everything; I just missed you being there. Third, I missed watching you sleep in the morning and then your smile when you woke up."

"Aw Nathan that's so sweet."

"Okay, your turn."

"Okay, first I missed the little things you would do for me just to make me happy, like visiting my parents in Georgia. Second, I missed staying up late and eating crappy food because we couldn't afford anything else just talking for hours. Third, I missed…I definitely missed the hot sex," Haley said laughing. She turned red.

"I definitely missed the hot sex too. Even more, I miss the way you blush when you talk about hot sex."

Haley turned even redder.

"So now we're at our first place."

Haley looked over and saw the same store Nathan and Haley spent their first date at.

"Let me guess we have to buy something for one another," Haley said.

"Nope, read the card."

Haley grabbed the card out of Nathan's hand.

_Pick out something for the other person to wear tonight only, but it will be returned tomorrow._

"Are you serious?" Haley asked.

"Come on," Nathan said holding out his hand.

About a half an hour later they met outside of the store. Haley gave Nathan her bag, and Nathan gave her his.

Nathan opened his bag.

"A new tie Hales? Seriously?"

"Well I didn't know exactly what you wanted out of this weird thing."

"Open yours."

"A poncho? Are you serious?"

"I thought I would be really nice for us to remember your great fashion sense," Nathan said in between laughter.

"Very funny. Fine I'll wear it." Haley put the poncho on as Nathan was laughing hysterically.

"So here's the next card to read while we walk to the next place."

"Tell each other a secret you haven't told anyone."

"You go first this time."

"I'm really scared I'm going to screw things up between us again. I'm worried that somehow I'll totally ruin the relationship."

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know. You do everything perfect when we're together. Sure you do little things, but I pretty much am a walking death threat to our relationship. So I guess I'm really scared of this working out really great."

"Don't do that to yourself Hales, don't think that way."

"I know I'm trying not to. Okay you're turn."

"Lately, I've been pretending Natalie's my daughter."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, we've been getting pretty close."

"That's sweet Nathan. I'm really glad."

"So the next card says to tell the other person three things you really want to do in the next year, and they can't involve the other person."

"Oh, that's tricky. It's your turn to go first my friend."

"One, I want to set up another charity basketball game for Children's Hospital. Two, I want to get a pet. Three, I want to find my daughter."

"Nice. One, I want to travel to Europe and go on a big trip there. Two, I want to find a new job that I adore. Three, I want Natalie to stay little forever."

"I don't think that last one will be coming true any time soon Hales, sorry."

"I know. How's the daughter thing going anyway?"

"I'm not too sure. I'm calling the guy tomorrow. I get weekly updates."

"I'm hoping for the best. Then your daughter and my daughter would be sisters."

"They'll be both of our daughters."

"We are quite a cute little family aren't we?"

"Considering I am exceptionally good looking; yes."

"Hopefully our kids won't be so conceited."

"Our kids? You want my babies?"

"Someday, yeah, I think I'll have your babies. Even if they are really conceited."

"Well, this is our second place."

Nathan and Haley were at the docks. Nathan had a picnic set up. There was a table cloth on the table she first tutored him at. There were candles and a little basket.

"Nathan, this is so beautiful."

"Let's go eat."

The two sat across from one another. Nathan pulled out two dishes of macaroni and cheese and two slices of cheesecake. Then he lit the candles.

"How did you do all this?"

"There's this girl named Brooke, you may know here, all about the romance, all about making her best friend happy."

"She's great. You're great. Thanks Nathan this is perfect."

"Anything for you."

"Anymore cards?"

"Two more."

"Give me one."

_Share your favorite memory of the other person_

"Okay, well it was really late one school night and I was studying. I heard a knock on my window and I opened it up and you were sitting out there with your ladder because apparently you never use the front door. I asked what you were doing and then you said it was raining and you thought of me. So then I climbed out the window with you and you took me to your dad's beach house and we went out onto this little canoe and made out in the rain."

"Oh, that was definitely a good day."

"Your turn mister."

"Okay, well right after we started dating you came to one of my basketball games and I was really angry because I didn't score as many points as I wanted to. So you brought me to the river court and you handed me a basketball and you said you would kiss me every time I made a basket. So I made a basket until I made up the amount of points I wanted to at that game."

Nathan and Haley continued to reminisce over dinner. Finally when they were done Nathan pulled out one last card.

"Last card," Nathan said.

"I'll read it."

"Here you go."

"Haley James, will you be my girlfriend and be mine? Because I couldn't imagine you not in my life. I love you so much."

Haley had a tear in her eye.

"Yeah, I'll be yours."

Then he pulled out the bracelet he gave her at the first tutoring center and put it around her wrist.

"Don't say I never gave you anything."


	23. The World Has It's Shine

Haley woke up and saw a sleeping Nathan lying next to her

A/N: Woah! It's been forever since I updated this. I'm really sorry about that. I had an AP exam and my dance recital. Plus, I read the entire Twilight series and that took up a good chunk of time. Summer's coming though, so updates should be around twice a week. Please review this chapter. Reviews have been few lately, so I would really appreciate some. Hope all is well with everyone, and for those of you taking finals, good luck.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song in this chapter is "The World Has It's Shine" by Cobra Starship.

I'm not one for love songs.  
The way I'm living makes you feel like giving up  
But you don't,  
And I want everything for you  
But disappointment.  
'Cause you've been left behind  
And the world has its shine,  
I would drop it on a dime for you.  
(Hey oh!)  
And whatever it takes.  
(Hey oh!)  
I'm gonna make my way home.  
(Hey oh!)  
We can turn our backs on the past  
And start over…  
Not long ago  
I gave up hope,  
But you came along  
You gave me something I could hold on to.  
Woah-oh.  
And I want you.  
Oh, woah.  
More than you could ever know.

Haley woke up and saw a sleeping Nathan lying next to her. She slid closer toward him and smiled. She loved feeling his warm skin against hers. She smelled his hair and nestled her head into his neck. She laid there perfectly still until Nathan woke up. His eyes fluttered open and he immediately smiled.

"Good morning beautiful," Nathan said looking ever so slightly at Haley.

"Good morning. You don't have to get up just because I'm up," Haley said tracing her finger along his chest.

"No, I want to be up. C'mon let's get some breakfast."

Downstairs Haley was sitting at the island of the kitchen. Nathan came over to her and put some French toast and strawberries on her plate.

"You know I totally love the idea of you cooking," Haley said smiling.

"I thought you loved cooking."

"Oh, I do. However, this is kind of nice. I like it."

"Okay, let's make a deal. You make dinner, I'll make breakfast."

"Sounds perfect; just like our own little family."

Nathan smiled and kissed Haley lightly on the mouth.

"Got any plans for today?" Nathan asked.

"Actually, Brooke and Peyton and I are going on a shopping trip. Peyton and I are planning on running away as soon as Brooke's eyes are glued to a sale," Haley said laughing lightly.

"Good luck with that. I wouldn't take a shopping trip with Brooke if it meant front row tickets to a Lakers game."

"You wouldn't take a shopping trip with anyone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right; unless it was you trying on lingerie or something," Nathan said with his famous smirk.

Haley blushed bright red. Then she tried to change the topic before Nathan could notice she was blushing, "So what are you planning on doing today?"

"Playing some basketball. I don't know, maybe I'll pick up Natalie from her sleepover with Aunt Karen."

"Okay, well I'm going to go eat ready. Meet you back here at seven. We'll play games with Natalie okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

Haley, Peyton, and Brooke were at a boutique in a mall close by. Brooke was looking through a rack of clothes.

"So Haley James how are things going with you and Nathan?" Brooke asked inquisitively.

"Good," Haley said with a smile.

"C'mon girly give me some details," Brooke whined.

"He's being really great about everything. Him and Natalie are getting along so great."

"Hales, we want to know about you and Nathan, not Natalie and Nathan," Peyton said with a smile.

"Well, he recreated our first date the other night. He made up little cards and everything and he had this big picnic by the dock. It was so cute. I like totally fell in love all over again."

"Aw, that is so adorable tutormom. I totally wish someone would do that for me."

"I know seriously the last romantic thing Jude did was bring me breakfast in bed, and it was because he wanted me to meet this new artist he found."

"Well, that's just because you're married P. Sawyer. Married people are a snooze fest," Brooke chimed.

"You wouldn't know, considering you're so afraid of a serious commitment that you haven't even thought about it," Peyton teased.

"I've thought about it. I mean I'm pretty sure I'd get a one-of-a-kind designer dress and I would have a really long veil. The ceremony would be beautiful," Brooke said giddily.

"Brooke! You that's the wedding part, not the actual married part," Haley said laughing.

"Whatever tutormom, just because you love marriage la da da. Not everyone feels comfortable getting married at what, like sixteen," Brooke teased.

"Speaking of marriage…are you ever going to tie the knot with Nathan again?" Peyton asked inquisitively.

"I don't know. I don't want to rush into anything. I want to take it slow. Plus, I'm pretty much leaving it up to Nathan."

"Slow is good, fast is better. Plus we all know you don't do slow when it comes to marriage," Brooke said holding a shirt up against herself.

"Whatever you say Brookie Monster. I'm just going to let things handle themselves."

"Okay, but do you want to marry Nate? Or does it all scare you? You know…considering," Peyton asked holding up two pairs of jeans.

"Of course I want to marry him; I just want to wait for the right time. I don't think we'll screw it up again, I mean considering that we're older and more mature."

"Plus you guys are Naley, it's practically destiny," Brooke chimed.

"I totally don't believe in destiny, I think you make your own life," Peyton said.

"Oh, whatever Peyton, cry me an emo song. You and Jude are totally destined for each other. I mean you're both like tortured artists who bring out smiles in each other. Who knew it could happen?" Brooke said grabbing Peyton's shoulder.

"Then what exactly is your destiny B. Davis?"

"To buy lots and lots of clothes. Come on girls. Enough of this dramatic boytoy talk. I see a sale at Macy's."

Haley and Peyton just rolled their eyes and strolled behind Brooke.

Nathan walked into the house after playing basketball in the backyard for about an hour. He was glad Haley left for the day. Her birthday was coming up and he wanted time to shop online to find a gift from himself. He already knew that he was going to get a picture frame with Natalie's handprints and a picture of the two of them in the middle from Natalie. Haley went into the closet in the bedroom where Haley kept all her pictures. He pulled out a "Baby's First Photo Album" and began to flip through the pages for an appropriate picture.

He couldn't believe how cute Natalie was as a baby. She had huge dimples and was practically always smiling. Nathan flipped to the last page and couldn't believe what he saw.

Haley walked into the house with several bags.

"Hey you," Haley chimed when she saw Nathan. She put her bags down and went over to give him a hug.

"How was your trip?" Nathan asked.

"Oh Brooke was worse than usual. The girl bought fifteen pairs of shoes. She already has over two hundred pairs."

Nathan let out a small laugh.

"What's wrong? You seem tense or something," Haley said, looking Nathan in the eye.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay, shoot. I'm all ears."

"Why didn't you tell me Natalie was adopted?"

Haley's face fell at his question. She had intended on telling him, but it never really came up. Honestly, Haley felt Natalie was her daughter; it didn't matter where she came from.

"It just never came up."

"Never came up?" Nathan asked.

"It's just not a big deal. As far as I'm concerned she is my daughter. It doesn't matter that she was adopted."

"I know it doesn't matter, I just thought that it would be something you would tell me."

"I'm sorry. I know I should have told you. It's just I don't tell many people."

"It's okay, I'm not mad. Can I ask you another question?"

"Anything."

"Why did you adopt, why didn't you and Matt just have a baby?"

"I couldn't physically handle it at the time. I was working a ton and so was Matt. Plus, Matt was adopted so we decided that would be the best way to go."

"Were you ever planning on having kids of your own?"

"In the future. I don't know."

"I have a confession."

"What is it?"

"Is it wrong that I am really happy that you did not have a baby with Matt?"

"Oh, Nathan Scott you are something else."

"Did you ever meet her real parents?"

"No, the agency didn't have too much information. I'm glad though, we really didn't want to know. I guess if we knew her real parents it would make her less of our own you know?"

"Yeah, I guess so. When are you going to tell her? Or are you never going to tell her?"

"Matt and I always said we would tell her. I guess I'll probably tell her when she's like eight. Part of me never wants to tell her though."

"Yeah, I understand. That must be hard."

"I have to do what's best for her though. I guess I would want to know if I was adopted."

"Hales I have a really out there idea."

"And just what is that?"

"You got Natalie from an adoption agency right?"

"You make it seem like I bought a cow or something. But yes I _got_ her at an agency."

"Do you think…?" Nathan began.

Haley immediately knew where he was going with this. "No Nathan, I don't think she's your daughter."

"But it could be a possibility."

"I know, but there's thousands of kids in foster care and adoption agencies. I know Brooke thinks we're destined to be together, but I don't think the universe likes us that much."

"I know, but the universe really does like us."

"Okay, you can think whatever you want, just don't get your hopes up."

"Fine. I need to talk to you about something else."

"Okay, since you just love to talk about serious topics tonight."

"I want to adopt Natalie. I want to be her dad."

Haley sat there for a minute before saying anything. "Woah, didn't see that one coming."

"I know it's huge, really huge, but I really want to."

"Nathan…I know you love Natalie, but…"

"But what Hales? You two are my family now I want to make it official."

"Don't you think we should make it official before we start co-owning kids?"

"Do you want to get married Hales? I'll marry you anytime, you know that."

"No that's not it. I just want to make sure we're solid before we do anything drastic."

"Haley, I'm in this for the long haul. If you're not, well then I guess I understand."

"Nathan, I'm not going anywhere."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Nathan it didn't work before, so how do we know it's not going to fall apart again? I want to make sure we can handle everything before we throw kids into the mix."

"This is what Natalie wants Haley!"

"Nathan, I know, and I want it too. I just don't want to put more on our plates than we can handle. I'm not willing to get Natalie involved in something that can turn out so messy."

"You were the one that left me Haley! You were the one who screwed us up! Why do I have to pay for your mistakes now?"

"Why do you always have to bring this up? This is exactly why you can't adopt her! You still can't get over the past damn it!"

"I'm over it when you can actually stop worrying about things not working out. You have to get over it Haley not me!"

"I am over it Nathan, but I want to protect my daughter!"

"Protect her from what? Don't worry Haley I'm not going to run away to join a rock band."

"You are so immature!"

"No I'm the one being mature. I want to make us a family. I want to move on, but you can't do that! You're too stuck in the damn past."

"Whatever Nathan. I'm leaving, don't call, don't write, don't do anything. I'm done with you."

"See Haley you're running away from your problems again!"

"Fine, call me when you gain a little maturity and perspective."

Haley walked out the door and slammed it as hard as she possibly could.

She picked up her phone and dialed the number that she knew best.

"Hello," Brooke chimed.

"Get ready, get hot. We're going out."

About five hours later Haley and Brooke were in a club dancing. Haley would not tell Brooke what happened; she said she didn't want to talk about it. By this time Haley had way more alcohol than she could possibly handle.

"Tutorgirl, I think it's time to go home."

"Noooo, Brookiee. I'm just starting…starting to have fuunnnn," Haley whined.

"Haley, honey, you're really drunk."

"But I only had a teensy bit," Haley said putting her fingers together to show her a little bit.

"Haley, you had a little more than that. C'mon let's get you home."

"Noooo, I don't want to goooo. C'mon Brookie, why can't I have fun tooo?" Haley asked slurring her words.

"Because you're drunk and sad and vulnerable. Haley I think we should really get home."

Haley started stumbling.

"III have a greeeeaaattt ideaaaa Brookie," Haley said point her finger at her.

"Oh, no," Brooke said.

Haley climbed up to the top of the bar and started dancing. Guys were cheering for her and she was stumbling all over the place.

"Haley let's go home. Get down from there."

"Youuu can go home party pooper Brookie. I'm stayyinggg here. These guysss like meee, Natee doesn't."

"Haley, c'mon I know you're upset. We can talk about it."

"No, I'm staying."

Brooke picked up a bottle of alcohol and began drinking it.

Brooke walked over to a corner and pulled out her cell phone.

"Brooke?" Nathan asked confused

"Nathan, I'm worried about Haley. She won't come home. She's on the bar and she's stumbling everywhere and I don't know what to do."

"Brooke calm down. Is she okay?"

"I don't know. She's had a lot to drink. I don't know what to do. Can you please come Nathan?"

"She's really mad at me."

"She's not mad, she's upset. Please Nathan, please?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in five."

Nathan arrived at the bar to see Haley practically lying across the bar.

"Brookieee, get himmm out off heereeee," Haley whined.

"Hales, c'mon let's get you home," Nathan said picking her up.

"Noooo, leeaveee mee alloneee," Haley said punching him.

"Hales, you need to go home. I'm taking you home. I don't care what you say."

"But youuu areee madd at meee. You were meeaaannn," Haley whined.

"I'm sorry. It's okay. Let's just get you home okay?"

"Youu madeee me sadddd," Haley said crying into Nathan's shirt.

"I know, I'm sorry. Let's go home."

Nathan carried Haley into his car and laid her on her side in the back seat. Brooke sat in the front seat next to Nathan.

"You shouldn't have let her get so drunk," Nathan said.

"You shouldn't have been such an ass," Brooke retorted.

"Okay, let's just call it a truce."

"Okay, deal. Take care of her okay? She's hurting. Haley never does stuff like this."

"I know. I promise I will Brooke."

"She loves you a lot you know."

"I know, I just wish she would stop worrying that she's going to screw everything up again."

"She just doesn't want to hurt you again."

"I know. Thanks for being there for her Brooke."

"Anytime."

The next morning Haley woke up to Nathan watching a basketball game. She was lying on the couch and it felt like an elephant was sitting on top of her head.

"What happened?" Haley asked.

"Do you remember anything?"

"I remember us fighting and then me going out with Brooke."

"You got really drunk. You wouldn't go home. Brooke got really worried so she called me."

"Oh God, I'm so embarrassed. What did I do?"

"You got on top of a bar and danced."

"Ugh, I am so stupid. I fell really, really sick."

"I'm not surprised. I've never seen so much puke in my life."

"That bad, huh?"

"Oh yeah, our bathroom smells gross. And our bed, well that needs to be cleaned."

"I am never drinking again. I feel like I'm about to die."

"It's okay. I'll get you some aspirin."

"Thanks. Thanks for taking care of me Nathan. I know I wasn't very nice yesterday. You're a good guy."

"I'll always take care of you."

"I know, but yesterday wasn't so great for us."

"It's okay. Water under the bridge. I understand what you mean. We'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Okay."

Nathan walked into the kitchen to get the aspirin. He got a call on his cell phone. He answered and walked into the living room, handing Haley the medicine.

"Hello…yes…really…tomorrow…thank you…thank you so much."

Nathan stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at Haley.

"What's going on Nathan?"

"That was my lawyer. They found my daughter," he said smiling.

Haley jumped up and threw her arms around him. They hugged for several minutes, crying.


	24. Love and Memories

Nathan and Haley couldn't sleep that night

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I hope you like this chapter. I know it's taken a long time, but now summer's here so I should be updating about once or twice a week. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer, and hopefully nice weather.

I do not own OTH or it's characters. The song in this chapter is "Love and Memories" by O.A.R.

Maybe I am a crowded mind  
I watch your eyes glaze over  
Stared down at the floor  
You were amazing to me  
I was amazing to you  
But here we go again  
Didn't you  
Love me faster than the devil  
Run me straight into the ground  
Drowning deep inside your water  
Drowning deep inside your sound  
Love me faster than the devil  
Run me straight into the ground  
Drowning deep inside your water  
Drown in love and memories

Nathan and Haley couldn't sleep that night. Nathan was too excited for words, but at the same time he was more nervous than ever before. Haley stayed up because she knew how much this meant to Nathan. She wanted to be there for him, she wanted him to have what he wanted more than anything. Haley was overjoyed that they would have a new edition to their seemingly perfect family. She just hoped it all worked out for the best.

The next morning Haley and Nathan rushed to get ready. Blood was pumping fast through Nathan's veins. He couldn't even think straight. Both of them jumped in their hybrid car and headed toward his lawyer's office. The drive seemed like it would never end. Nathan wanted to get there fast, and even in the small town of Tree Hill, the drive couldn't go by fast enough. Haley and Nathan flung the car doors open and walked into the office of Nathan's lawyer. Smiles were beaming from their faces.

"Why hello there, Mister and Misses Scott," the lawyer said looking at the two of them.

Nathan and Haley just looked at each other knowing that Haley wasn't really "Mrs. Scott," well, at least not anymore.

"Hi, I'm so glad you called," Nathan said shaking the man's hand.

"Well, I figured you'd gladly accept the news, so I decided it would be okay to call so late."

"It was fine and we're so glad you did," Haley spoke, clutching Nathan's hand in her own.

"So where is she? Is she here?" Nathan asked.

"No, she's not here. We're going to need to run to an adoption agency. They're expecting us. We actually found her a few weeks ago, but we figured it was best that she be transferred to the closest place before we told you. Besides, we needed to get all legalities figured out," the man explained.

"So is everything taken care of? Do I need to do anything?" Nathan asked.

"Well, the money needed was withdrawn from your account, so that's all set. The paper work and legalities are all set. The agency performed background checks with our permission. All that needs to be done is some paper signing when we get to the place."

"That's great. Let's go then," Nathan said, his voice cracking with excitement.

"Okay, it's about an hour away. You don't have anything you need to attend to do you?" the lawyer asked.

"No, we cancelled everything for the day," Haley chimed from Nathan's side.

"Okay, let's get going then. You two can either drive with me or you two can follow me."

"We'll drive behind you," Haley smiled squeezing Nathan's hand.

The drive seemed endless. Haley smiled at Nathan every two seconds, reassuringly. She knew he was nervous. He may have put on his "tough Nathan Scott" face, but she knew better. She could tell by his little body movements that a million thoughts were running through his head.

"What if she doesn't like me?" Nathan broke the silence.

"Nathan, she's going to love you. You're her father."

"I know, but what if she just doesn't like me? I mean I don't like my dad."

"You're not your dad Nathan."

"What if she and Natalie don't get along," Nathan asked quickly. His words were all jumbled together. He could barely speak.

"Nathan, Natalie is a people person. She loves everyone. Plus, what is there for three year olds to fight about?"

"I don't know. I mean girls fight all the time."

"Actually, sisters fight all the time. That's what they're supposed to do. I mean, take you and Lucas, for example, you two fight all the damn time," Haley said rubbing Nathan's arm reassuringly.

"I'm just so worried about all of this. I always pictured this day being great, you know? Now it's here and I'm worried that something awful is going to happen," Nathan confessed.

"How about this? You just focus on seeing your baby girl for the first time ever. Be excited! You're going to see your daughter!" Haley was practically yelling with joy.

"I'm going to see my daughter," Nathan repeated in a whisper.

When they arrived at the agency, which was about an hour away, Nathan and Haley met with the lawyer outside of the building.

"Are you ready for this Mr. Scott?" the man asked.

"I've been ready for this for three years now," Nathan said with his famous Scott grin.

The three of them walked into the agency to the front desk. They were greeted by a brunette woman in her late forties.

"You must be Nathan Scott," the woman said smiling. "We've been expecting you."

"Yes, I am Nathan Scott," Nathan said smiling back at her.

"And who is this fine young lady?" the woman asked, referring to Haley.

"I'm Haley," she said extending her hand to the woman.

"Okay, so this lovely lawyer of yours has everything taken care of, so all I need you to do is sign some of these papers for me," the woman extended her hand, full of papers.

"Thank you," Nathan said smiling. He began signing his name on all the given lines. He felt as if he had never signed his name so much in his entire life. It was worth it though; after all he was going to meet his daughter today.

When he was all finished he handed the papers back to the woman. She nodded her head and looked to make sure that everything was appropriately signed.

"Okay, Mr. Scott, today's the day," the woman said smiling.

"I'm ready," he said with a quick smirk.

"Your little girl is right this way. Follow me please," the older woman said extending her arm forward.

Nathan had a million thoughts racing through his head. He could barely put one foot in front of another to follow the woman. He had no idea what he was going to say to his daughter. What exactly do you say to your three year old that you've never seen before in your life?

Nathan arrived in the room and his eyes began to well up with tears when he saw the little girl in front of him. She was a beautiful, tiny girl. Her hair was almost black and her eyes were a blue-green. She was wearing a pink sundress and she had a shy look on her face.

"Here she is Mr. Scott. Her name is Sophie Beth Scott. I'll give you two a moment." The woman and the lawyer walked out of the room to a small office just down the hall.

"Do you want me to stay or go Nathan?" Haley looked at him with her big brown eyes. Her eyes were filled with tears, too. The little girl looked just like Nathan.

"I want you to stay. She's your family, too," Nathan said with a slight grin. He walked over to the little girl and squatted down so he could be at eye level with her.

"Hi, Sophie. I'm your daddy," Nathan said, struggling not to cry.

"Hi," the girl said slowly.

"And this is your new mommy," Nathan said pointing to Haley.

"Hi," the girl spoke softly.

Haley waved at her with a smile on her face.

"We're going to take you home. You're going to stay with us now. We're going to be a nice family," Nathan said.

"Where are you taking me?" the girl asked quietly.

"We're going to take you to our big house. And you'll have your own room. And guess what else? You're going to have a sister!" Nathan said, trying to assure the girl. She was quiet. Very quiet. Nathan assumed that was from staying with an agency, and not a family.

"A sister?" the girl asked excitedly.

"Yeah, her name's Natalie," Haley said with a smile.

"Is she nice?" Sophie asked.

"Oh, she's very nice. You two will be good friends," Nathan said putting a hand on the small girl's shoulder.

"So you two are going to be my family now? I'm going to have a real mommy and daddy?" the girl asked hopeful.

"Yeah, we're going to be your mommy and daddy now," Nathan said with a smile. He had tears in his eyes now. He couldn't hold them back any longer.

Sophie took a few short steps and threw her arms around them in a hug. Nathan and Haley threw their arms around her as well, as squeezed her close to them.

"How about we go home to see your new room?" Nathan asked. Earlier he called Brooke and told her to make the room fit for a princess. He didn't give her any reason why. He just told her to make it suitable for a three year old. Brooke assumed that Natalie was getting yet another extravagant room. She couldn't argue with redecorating though, especially when it was on someone else's credit card.

"What color is it?" Sophie asked excitedly.

"It's a surprise," Haley said with a grin. Honestly, she had no idea what color it was.

When they left the room, the worker from the agency greeted them.

"So how do you like your new family Soph?"

"They're nice. I'm going to have a sister Mrs. Bosky!" the girl exclaimed excitedly.

"That's great. I'm going to miss you sweetie," the woman said hugging Sophie.

"Can I come visit sometimes?" she asked, looking at Nathan and Haley.

"Of course you can," Nathan said with a smile.

"Good. I'll miss you," Sophie said waving.

Haley took Sophie's hand and started leading her out of the place.

Nathan stayed behind to talk to Mrs. Bosky for a minute.

"She's a little shy, but once she feels comfortable with you, she'll never stop talking."

"I got it. I'm a pediatrician. I'm used to working with kids."

"It's different though, you'll be living with one," the woman said placing her hand on Nathan's shoulder.

"We've already got one little girl staying with us. I think we can manage," Nathan said jokingly toward the woman.

"That's good. Sophie loves playing, so hopefully they'll get along. I've made a list of things she likes and things she doesn't like. Fortunately, she's not allergic to anything. I wrote down some of her habits. I just want it to be an easy transition."

"Thank you so much. I'll bring her back for a visit soon."

"Good luck, Mr. Scott. If you need anything, just give me a call."

"Thanks, I'll be seeing you," Nathan said waving. He walked out of the building and saw Haley sitting in the car with the girl. Sophie was in the backseat, in a booster seat.

"So, we have an hour ride home, okay?" Nathan said asking Sophie.

"Okay, I don't ride in cars much," Sophie said.

"It's okay, we'll play a game to take your mind off things. Plus, we can get to know you a little better," Haley said.

"Okay!" Sophie said excitedly.

"Okay, what's your favorite color?" Haley asked.

"Hmm…purple," Sophie smiled. Haley and Nathan looked at each other and smiled, knowing it was their color. "What's yours?" Sophie asked them.

"I like blue," Nathan said.

"I like purple too," Haley said looking in the mirror to see Sophie.

"We're like twins!"

"Yes, we are."

"Okay, next question," Nathan started, "What's your favorite wild animal?"

"Bunny!" Sophie yelled. Nathan and Haley just laughed in the front seat. "What's yours mommy and daddy?"

Nathan and Haley smiled with extreme at the term. Haley was thinking now, if Nathan let his daughter be such a huge part of her life, it was time for Haley to let Nathan adopt Natalie. She would wait for a more appropriate time to tell him.

"I like tigers," Nathan said, "they're very ferocious."

"I like dolphins," Haley said.

"Favorite sport?" Nathan asked.

"Basketball! I'm really good too. I can make lots of free throws, with a little help," Sophie rushed out.

"She is definitely your kid," Haley said looking at Nathan.

"That she is," Nathan said looking at Haley.

"Your daddy loves basketball. He used to be the best player on his team in high school."

"Really? Can we play together sometime?" Sophie asked.

"Yes, and your sister, Natalie, can play too. She loves basketball."

"Cool. Do you like basketball mommy?"

"I like to watch your daddy play basketball. I'm not really into sports."

"That's okay. Sometimes I like to color instead."

"Oh, I love to color," Haley said in laughter. It was true. She loved to color; even at the age of thirty.

"Next question," Sophie said from the back seat.

"Favorite food?" Haley asked.

"Sketti!" Sophie said.

"Natalie loves spaghetti too," Nathan said. "Your mom is a great cook."

"Good, because I love to eat."

"I can cook you anything you want for your first night at home," Haley offered.

"Okay, I'll have to think real hard."

"Okay, just tell me when you know."

"How about your favorite movie?" Nathan asked.

"I love Aladdin! I want to be just like Jasmin. She's so pretty!"

"She's not nearly as pretty as you," Haley said smiling.

"Thank you," Sophie said shyly.

"What's your favorite movie?" Sophie asked.

Haley searched her mind for a movie that Sophie would know of. She decided to go with one that she and Natalie watch together all the time. "I love Finding Nemo."

"Oh, that's a good one," Nathan said. "My favorite is Monster's Inc."

"Can we get a pet Nemo?" Sophie asked.

"Of course we can. He can be your special pet."

"Actually, I want a bunny! Can I get a bunny? I never hads a pet before."

"Sure, you can get a bunny. What would you name it?" Haley asked.

"I would name it Chester. Chester the bunny!" Sophie giggled in the backseat.

"What's your favorite thing to do besides basketball and coloring?" Haley asked.

"I like to play dance class. I always wanted to be a ballerina."

"Really? I took a few dance classes when I was a really little girl, but I always fell."

Sophie giggled in the back seat.

"And your father is a horrible dancer," Haley said with a smirk.

"I am not!" Nathan protested. "Actually, I am."

Sophie laughed again. "You two are very funny."

Haley and Nathan laughed together. "So how about we sign you up for some tap dancing lessons when you get settled in?" Nathan asked.

"Really? Are you sure?" Sophie asked, her eyes very big.

"We're very sure," Haley said.

"Will Natalie do it with me?"

"I'll ask her. She loves to play dress-up so I'm sure she will."

"I love to play dress up too! What's her favorite thing to dress up as?"

"Well, it used to be a doctor. Now, I think it's a mouse. I'm not too sure you'll have to ask her when you two meet," Haley said.

"Do you think she'll like me?" Sophie asked her.

"Of course she'll like you! What's not to like?" Nathan said from the front seat.

"Do you think she'll want to play with me?"

"Natalie loves to play. She'll be so glad to have a sister to play with; especially one as great as you."

"Okay, good. I always wanted a sister!"

"Here we are; here's our house!" Nathan said to the girl.

"It's ginormous!" Sophie exclaimed!

Nathan and Haley laughed. "Do you like it?" Nathan asked.

"I loves it!"

"C'mon let's go check out your room!" Haley said picking the girl up in her arms.

They arrived at her room. It was the color purple; Brooke didn't even know that was her favorite color. There was a Disney princess bed spread. There were stuffed animals sitting on a shelf, a small castle to play in, and a big trunk decorated with tiara paintings.

"This is all mine?" Sophie asked with big eyes.

"Welcome home baby!" Nathan said.

Sophie threw her arms around her two new parents. "Thank you!"

"No problem," Haley said squeezing the girl.

"Can I play in here for a little bit?"

"Of course you can. I have to make a few calls anyway," Haley said.

"Daddy, will you stay and play?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, I will."

"Hold on, let me get the camera to take a picture of you two." Haley ran into her room and retrieved the camera. "Smile!" She snapped a photo of Nathan holding Sophie in the air, with big smiles on both of their faces.

Nathan then took the camera and snapped a picture of Haley and Sophie making fishy faces. Then he took one more of Sophie jumping on her new princess bed.

"This is the beginning of a lot of memories," Nathan said with a smile.


End file.
